Thursday, January 19, 2012
Just a request
When your kid sits down for breakfast next to mine and yours is eating cola gummies while mine are eating bananas, please don't feel the need to justify. We all have our own battles to deal with - you don't have to explain your reasoning to me. I promise to not judge you if you promise to not judge me when the tables are turned some day. And PLEASE do not procede to tell me (in front of my kids and yours) about how your daughter throws a fit when she has to take medicine and that she gets to eat "junk food" for breakfast if she finally downs it. If that is your strategy and it works, fine by me. We all have to pick our battles and sometimes just need to find a means to an end. Just DON'T TELL ME THIS IN FRONT OF MY CHILD. Because he had to take yucky tasting medicine this morning, too, and he is eating a banana. And the look on his face while hearing all about this says to me, "Wait. I can negotiate when I take my medicine?" Should be interesting to see how this one plays out...
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I think the best way to deal with this is to discuss it with Cort tonight (best if you could do it at the time, but circumstances prevented that---AND sometimes we need time to think about a strategy). The more places and classes we enroll in the more questions about, "Why can't I...X does it." I heard a lot of "because I said so" growing up so I try not to say that. We talk a lot in our house about how families do things differently, and this is our way. Mommy and Daddy are the leaders and make the best decisions based on the information we know.
ReplyDeleteThe reason I choose to confront the issue quickly is from my experience at work. One example, I am continually called out for enforcing playground safety with my students while others don't. After about a week, the kids give up challenging and understand that safety is a non-negotiable with me. So they don't think I am a shrew, I do special things that let them know I appreciate their following rules like when everyone else goes in after the morning fire drill, we play outside; starting the morning with our daily meeting outside instead of in our room; eating lunch outside; having the best Thanksgiving feast in the county...unfortunately, I am not above reminding them that all these special events are organized by me AND they are able to realize their is a give and take.
If push came to shove, I may have to make someone else feel uncomfortable about their parenting decisions if they were exhibiting behavior I think is detrimental to my kid and my kid is questioning it in front of them.
Good luck giving the medicine tonight...as a former child who tried to wipe the taste out of her mouth with napkins, I can relate.