Every one who isn't a parent does the same thing after hearing that kid in the middle of the grocery store (you all know the one). "I would never this or I would never that." I found myself eating my words after being a parent, but not all my words thankfully. There's a few that you might be nodding your head to as we go down the list and agree that we are guilt of such things...
I said I would never...
...bribe my kid. I'm not a horrible parent to be bribing my kid from time to time. If it gives me at least 5 minutes of quiet time when we are somewhere that we need to be silent (and not kid-friendly), the least I can do is bribe him with my phone, iPod or a piece of something yummy (not candy or anything with sugar, the last thing I need is for him to be even more up the wall). I'm sure a few of you can relate.
...be that mom to let my kid be the screaming kid. JD screams...loud. And I mean he has (or had) this ear-piercing scream that would make most moms want the ground to swallow them whole because it sounded like you just beat the shit out of your kid. I had such a difficult time when those terrible twos came along (and threes? they don't tell you about the threes). Believe me, it became more and more frustrating when I really wanted to give him something to cry about. But instead of reinforcing that behavior with my (very obvious angry) tone, I ignored him. I did. I let him scream and cry it out in the shipping cart while I kept shopping. My behavior analyst professor would be pleased. After a lot of patience and the dirty looks from fellow shoppers, it (THANKFULLY) went away. Now of course there's other things that I wish would change (sigh), but it part of his growing experience and mine as well.
...be a stay-at-home mom. The idea of staying home and being a housewife instantly made me cry. I hated the idea of it. Instead I am a work-at-home mom. I am still home with the kids and I wouldn't change it for the world. I have the ability to see my kids grow and to still provide for the family. Of course that'll change once JD starts Pre-K. Oh, the feels. D:
...let my kid stay up late. Ok, I have been pretty good at keeping up a routine and a night schedule. But there are nights where my husband does not get home until after 12. So sometimes JD misses him and tries to stay up to see him...of course his little self can't stay up until 12 so by 11 he is knocked out. He's so frikin sweet, that kid...
...let my kid watch T.V. I never wanted him to. But sometimes...I find myself that it's the only he'll let me get any work done. Sure, he helps me get some stuff done like picking up his toys or he "helps" me cook. But other times, he can get in the way. -_-
What about you? Did you find one that made you think, "crap, that hit close to home"? Share some of your thoughts or link up!
Great post! I can relate to a lot of these. It's funny how much our ideals and opinions, and even our outlooks changed once we became mothers. :)
ReplyDeleteI know! It's something we should all learn...never say never! Thanks for stopping by :)
Delete