I received an email forward today about parenting – one of those “now that you’re a parent, you’ll appreciate this…” emails – and there was a bit in there about how non-parents blithely judge the parenting techniques of other adults. It made me think of a post I wrote back in August in which I admitted to being guilty of such behavior, and I vowed then to try to look for parenting techniques that I wanted to emulate instead of condemning ones I didn’t. That goal still eludes me, but now that Violet’s here, my perceptions have changed. I watch other parents whose children behave like sociopaths and I am afraid; afraid because I’m only 54 days into this strange trip, Violet’s not even capable of coherent speech or taking a step, but I can already understand how a parent might end up there. Lack of sleep alone has a powerful ability to lower the bar on acceptable behavior. Cuteness does, too. C'mon, look at the picture down below, and tell me it's going to be easy to tell this kid, "No".
54 days old
Nobody ever said parenting was easy!
ReplyDeleteSometimes - -ya just gotta say NO!
Then - -when asked "Why?" - - remember the age-old response - - -"Because I said so!"
Terry O
And then sometimes you say, "no," and it turns out your child is WAY more headstrong than you might ever imagine anyone being. Sigh... it was a long morning here, (with many wonderful and some not so wonderful moments), but naptime has finally arrived.
ReplyDeleteTerry- It's definitely not easy, and I have to imagine that we haven't seen anything yet! We'll expect to benefit from plenty of advice based on your vast experience.
ReplyDeleteAmy BG - I've heard from several parents how blindsided they were by the powerful wills of their children. Linda and I are both strong-willed, so we're apprehensive about what's coming. Doesn't the headstrong gene skip a generation - it's like baldness, right? If your mother's father was headstrong, then you'll be headstrong. Something like that, anyway, sorry to hear that you had a rough morning, but naptime is a blessing.
What? Are you saying Penn is going to get an easy ride with his kids??? ;) What about karma? LOL
ReplyDeleteToday I learned that if I want Penn to pick up something that he has most likely deliberately dumped, I can let him sit in my lap and he will help me. Breakthrough!
Amy - Karma does play a part, but I haven't figured out how yet. I like your breakthrough method, too! Will that work for your husband?
ReplyDeleteHe has yet to try it, but my bet is it will. A little lovin' goes a long way. :)
ReplyDelete