Hilarious. That is just a riot, isn’t it? Parenting is one size that fits most.
I wish it were that easy. Parenting is as unique as a snowflake or fingerprint. Each child is so wildly different, as are said child’s parents. How in the world do people pass judgments on parents with sayings like “If that were MY kid…” or “If you (spank, grounded, etc) that child, they wouldn’t act that way.”
Then there are some people who are on the complete opposite end of the spectrum. “You are just too tough.” “Is it really necessary to have all of those restrictions?” I have heard it from all sides. I have four very different children and a husband who co-parents like a champ. Our children require us to get creative, thoughtful and very intentional when it comes to discipline.
Our eldest is a marshmallow. If we give her a look of disdain, she melts into a weepy puddle on the floor. Our second child needs a caution sign with lights at every turn. His life choices resemble that of Evel Knievel, Rocky and someone on trial for a life sentence of being grounded. Our third and fourth haven’t been disciplined enough to have cases against them yet. #WeWillGetThere
I have a family member who is convinced I am running a wildlife rescue for feral children. I also have a family member who is planning an escape for my children from my convent. Are they both a bit extreme? Yes. Do both sides have some merit? Absolutely. How is this possible? Because…wait for it…
I am a mom, I am human, and so are my kids. We are constantly changing.
My husband and I have more sideline chats that Tom Brady and Bill Belicheck. The only thing we are missing are the clipboards. We are rearranging strategies, setting goals and we hope that we are setting up our little team for success. Some days end in tears and somedays end in triumphs. We are in it together; win or lose, we will get up and do it again the next day.
We have some basic standards in our house. No cell phones yet, appropriate bedtimes, no cursing, limited junk food, and limited tech time. These come pretty easy to our little unit. The difficult lessons are lying, kindness, consideration of others and humility. We are struggling with these. There aren’t specific YouTube videos to pull up to learn a lesson, check the box and move on. I wish it were that easy, but it’s just not.
Are these lessons that others are struggling with? I am sure! Are they the only lessons? Nope. So when I see other parents struggling with a shouting toddler or a catty preteen, my heart goes out to those guys! I may not be dealing with your exact issue, but we are all trying to assess the situations, determine where we want to guide our kiddos and do our darnedest to get them there.
One size fits all parenting doesn’t exist. You just keep rocking what you do best mamas, you know your babies better than anyone.
