When a new baby joins the family, the parents look forward to many firsts. First smile, first tooth, first step. However, there are some other "firsts" that are not so welcome. These are bound to happen, though. Fortunately, there is one way of dealing with all of them.
The first time your baby--
spits up on his nice brand new outfit
spits up on your nice brand new outfit
spits up on a guest's nice brand new outfit
defies gravity and shoots "number two" all up his back (I still can't figure out how this happens)
is getting a diaper change and decides he isn't quite finished and sprays all sorts of stuff on you
But don't think these not-so-welcome firsts end after babyhood. Nope, you're just getting started.
The first time your toddler--
says a very naughty word in front of you and you realize that his TV watching should be monitored more closely
says that same word in front of polite company
comes out into the living room naked in front of the same polite company
throws a tantrum in public
loudly announces in a public place not only that he has to use the bathroom but exactly what he has to do in there
locks you out of the house while you are outside checking the mail (OK, this only happened with one of my kids)
Of course, this is not a complete list. There are so many more, but I didn't want to make this blog entry so long that nobody would read it.
So how do you deal with all these episodes? You laugh! Come on. Our kids are babies and toddlers for a very short while. You have to enjoy these times even if they are embarrassing or frustrating.
Besides, what better way to entertain guests than by telling these stories in front of friends and family once your kids are teenagers.
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Showing posts with label children. Show all posts
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Parenting 101
Isn't it interesting how much some think they know about parenting even before they have kids? I know I used to have great ideas about parenting. If I heard a screaming toddler in the grocery store, I said to myself, "If that were my kid, I would..." and then come up with some solutions that would shape that kid right up. When I saw a baby with a pacifier, I thought how silly that was. Your baby doesn't need a pacifier if you simply make sure all his needs are met. If he's crying, find out why and fix the problem. Easy. And, of course, I would never be guilty of saying "Because I said so." I would calmly and logically explain the reason to the child who would immediately understand.
One day, some years later, I heard a screaming child in the grocery store. It turned out this particular child was sitting in my grocery cart. But nothing I did stopped the crying. What had happened to all those great ideas? Some I had already used, but they hadn't worked. The others--well, I was afraid that if I tried them, I would be arrested. The pacifier, which I had packed in the diaper bag also wasn't working. There was nothing left to do but cut the shopping trip short and go home.
As the kids got older, there were also many times I answered the question "Why?" with "Because I said so!" What had happened? Why wasn't I following my own great advice? In a word, REALITY.
Reality had taught me that even the most disciplined child gets bored after being in a grocery cart for an hour and sometimes nothing can stop the crying but heading home. I had also figured out that there are some babies who have all their needs met perfectly well, but still won't stop crying. In those cases, a pacifier may help. Sometimes. Reality had also told me that there are times when a child needs to obey without question and the old "Because I said so" standby is the best thing. If necessary, the logical reasoning process can follow later. After all, if your house was burning and you told your child to get out, you wouldn't answer their "Why" with logical reasoning.
So now, when I hear a crying child at the store, I sympathize with the poor mother (or father) instead of judging them. I also wonder if they would like a pacifier. For the child, I mean.
One day, some years later, I heard a screaming child in the grocery store. It turned out this particular child was sitting in my grocery cart. But nothing I did stopped the crying. What had happened to all those great ideas? Some I had already used, but they hadn't worked. The others--well, I was afraid that if I tried them, I would be arrested. The pacifier, which I had packed in the diaper bag also wasn't working. There was nothing left to do but cut the shopping trip short and go home.
As the kids got older, there were also many times I answered the question "Why?" with "Because I said so!" What had happened? Why wasn't I following my own great advice? In a word, REALITY.
Reality had taught me that even the most disciplined child gets bored after being in a grocery cart for an hour and sometimes nothing can stop the crying but heading home. I had also figured out that there are some babies who have all their needs met perfectly well, but still won't stop crying. In those cases, a pacifier may help. Sometimes. Reality had also told me that there are times when a child needs to obey without question and the old "Because I said so" standby is the best thing. If necessary, the logical reasoning process can follow later. After all, if your house was burning and you told your child to get out, you wouldn't answer their "Why" with logical reasoning.
So now, when I hear a crying child at the store, I sympathize with the poor mother (or father) instead of judging them. I also wonder if they would like a pacifier. For the child, I mean.
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