Parenting Lessons In the Wake of the Game of Thrones Finale

(Caution: Mild Spoilers Below)

As millions of fans are still reeling from the disappointing and anticlimactic conclusion to the HBO series Game of Thrones (GoT), I am doing what most moms do in bad situations – trying to make the best of it. So instead of lamenting the years of time I invested in this could-have-been-great-then-ended-with-a-whimper series, I am providing you with a simple guide and a few laughs to ease your probably still raw and tender feelings. After all, laughter is the best medicine.

So without further ado, I present you with my top five parenting lessons from Game of Thrones. 

1. Bedtime is coming. In Westeros, seasons last years, and winter is especially brutal. As such, the northern area continually reminds each other to prepare because “Winter is coming.” Meaning, stock up on food. Prepare for a long and difficult time. As a parent, sometimes bedtime can feel that way. As the daylight fades into dusk, I remind myself, bedtime is coming. I remind my kid that bedtime is coming. I gather my energy and strength and patience and prepare for what could be mild or merciless. Although I wish the struggle at bedtime for my kid came as infrequently as a Westeros winter, and that the time I actually got to sleep would last as long, I also remind myself that even if I get the kid to sleep, the night is dark and full of terrors. My record for toddler wake-ups that required active support and consoling is 17.17 times. Would anyone like to challenge me for the bedtime throne? 
2. When your kids inevitably get to the age where they can question and criticize your parenting, and tell you that you’re a terrible mom, you can always remind yourself that you’ve parented with love and best intentions, and you’re doing it better than Cersei Lannister. Of course, if you feel yourself contemplating war as an acceptable means of protecting your child, or plotting the end of your adult child’s fiance before they can get married… you might want to remind yourself of this mom who took it too far and in the end, it didn’t work out great for her kids. 
3. Speaking of older kids, when they reach an appropriate age to watch GoT (maybe, 33? Just kidding!), you can always make them watch the show! This will allow you to remind them that you’re a better mom than Cersei, but also give you an opportunity to teach them a valuable lesson in disappointment and how to cope with feelings of bitterness and despair. I actually did this to my sister, unwittingly! I convinced her to binge the entire series so she could watch the last few episodes with me. She became as committed and invested in the show as I had been (possibly more due to how quickly she consumed the show), only to have to deal with the feelings of dissatisfaction at the end. I can’t wait to do this to my adult kids someday. Related: a great lesson on the evils of too much screen time. I, personally, feel like throwing my TV out the window and doing something more productive with my free time. 
4. Dany is every mom who came into their parenthood in a non-traditional way: adoptive moms, stepmoms, surrogate moms, fertility-supported moms, moms of all kinds – heck, even moms who have had c-sections and get trolled online and told that isn’t “real birth.” No matter how you came into your role, you love those kids. Even if they act like literal dragons some days, or you’d rather yell Dracarys than clean up one more mess. But when we remind ourselves that a mother’s love burns with a ferocity greater than all of the Dothraki swords set fire by the Lord of Light, maybe, just maybe, we can understand why she got so mad. Went so mad? Hmmm. 
5. We will all have our MOMents where we feel like we know nothing, like Jon Snow. Or our moments where we feel like Tyrion, gripping our coffee or mom-beverage of choice, and telling our kids, “That’s what I do. I drink and I know things.” Maybe at times, we feel like Arya, trying to use cat-like skills to sneak out of our kid’s bedroom after they’ve fallen asleep. Or like Sam, frantically consulting every parenting book or mom’s group for the answer to your problem. Despite this, we are all better when we love and support each other. 

Oh, and the most satisfying moment in the finale? When Jon Snow finally gives his direwolf, Ghost, the pets he deserves. So the final lesson here is regardless of the type of mom you are, go and hug your kids.