It Ain’t That Bad
If you are like most parents, the first few days of the school holidays are great. Time off with the whole family brings much needed bonding and grounding. Then…without warning…WWIII breaks out in the living room!
Whether it’s fighting over the remote, leaving food around the house or wet clothes on the floor…(you see where I’m going here), you inevitably get to the point that you are looking at these once treasured blessings and wondering what house do they think they were raised in? You know you taught them how to speak with respect, how to clean up after themselves and a heck of lot more, but they just don’t do it!
Congratulations! Your kids are normal. They do what they want until they are, let’s call it ‘encouraged’, to do what they should.
It’s not them. It’s not you. It’s kids. And it’s the job we all signed up for when we became parents. To be honest there have been times when I have asked myself, “What kind of idiot has kids?” Parenting is the hardest job on the face of the planet. We are so emotionally invested in the outcome and at the same time we are bombarded with opinions, research, new ideas, new methods, more research about how to or how not to, that it’s mentally and emotionally exhausting!
I’m no expert. All you have to do is meet my kids to understand that. Don’t get me wrong, they’re great. But like their mother, they are human. They make mistakes, they get things wrong. And, they’re young. Which of course means that my son is 10ft tall and bullet proof and my daughter is an expert in everything – while at the same time, my husband and I know little to nothing about anything.
Fortunately for us all, every now and then we are rewarded for our efforts with little glimpses of the amazing person we are raising, the wonderful person they will be. Take those moments and let them get you through the not so amazing moments. It’s easy to feel alone in our parenting journey and assume everyone else has it all together. The reality is we are all in the same boat. So let’s just help each other bail water when it’s needed.
