and parents will be parents. So when our kids have disagreements and in return so do the parents, when is it time to call a "time out?" This has happened a few times with both of my children. There will be a spat or fight, typically I have let them try and work it out but still there have been incidents that sat with me, lingered and ate at me until I had to get to the root of the problem. For instance, my daughter came home mad one day because she couldn't play with a friend anymore because the parent had said she was "mean." I know Emma can have a streak in her, as quite a few little girls do, however this just bothered me. SO I decided to take it into my own hands and marched over to find out what was going on...only to my dismay, did I find out that she HAD been mean, very mean...and all because she was following peers at her school. After a long talk, she was devestated and wrote an apology letter to her friend and all is well once again...I think...I hope.
What is important from that situation is that I accepted what had happened and dealt with it. I know I don't have perfect kids, but I do try to make sure that they are making good choices and I am guiding them to be good, I think I'm doing a pretty good job and nothing makes my heart swell more than when I hear other parents say how awesome my kiddos are! Now in regards to my children getting hurt, that is a whole other story. Our jobs as parents is to nurture, guide, teach and protect. While I know I am not always going to be there to protect them, I want them to always be able to come to me for advice on how to handle a problem. Riley gets very emotional and angry when he's hurt...feelings or physically. I'm a lot like that as well. So it's hard, it's extremely difficult for me as a parent to separate the emotional and try and be logical when I witness something that I know to be wrong happen to one of my children. I don't ever want to be that parent that lives vicariously through their child and uses them to try and make themselves look more important. I also do not ever want to become that competitive parent that is only concerned with their child being better, faster, stronger, smarter than the others. I just want my kids to always know that they are trying their hardest and achieving their goals and quite honestly to hell with everyone else who tries to say otherwise or stands in their way. So if that is what I want so badly for them, why is it so hard for me to take my own advice? I'm learning...they are young and we have many years ahead of us...I'm learning that biting my tongue is often the best choice...it's a hard one and I may not always be able to do it, but setting a good example is also a big part of the whole parenting thing...now if only more parents would remember that!
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