Parenting........

Earlier today I was checking Facebook (shocking, I know) and a friend of mine (Sarah Meyer….adorable little thing I met when I was going to UW Tacoma) posted the cutest sign and said something like ‘if you haven’t checked out Pink Marmalade then you need to!’  Ok, so I do and that is when I found the most perfect sign EVER for Kennedy. 

Isn’t that awesome?  Everything listed on that sign is exactly what Chris and I try to teach her on a daily basis….even flush =) 

Before I had Kennedy I was the perfect parent and it all made sense to me.  I would be strict and our child would listen and be respectful all the time.  We would remove her from a situation if she threw a fit.  She would always say please and thank you.  She would never whine.  She would be happy all the time.  I would be patient and have endless amounts of calmness. Our child would eat veggies and not just lick the ranch off of her carrot sticks.  She would never drink juice because there is too much sugar in it.  She would be off the bottle the day of her 1^st birthday.  She would always be friendly and nice to her friends.  She would know how to share. She would go to bed at 8pm every night.  We wouldn’t let her watch TV everyday because we would always be playing a game or doing something educational.

Are you all laughing right now??  I am because WHAT A JOKE! 

And now let me be honest…..I truly thought that was all doable. 

However, now we have a 2 year old and all of my perfect parenting has gone out the door.  Now I wonder things like ‘If I take her to the store between 4 and 5 and bring a snack then will she  make it long enough for me to get half the things on my grocery list before demanding to get out of the cart and walk?’  And when I say ‘walk’, I mean quickly walking up and down the aisle touching every item while I’m pushing the enormous cart that has the kid car on the front and trying to keep calm and praying she doesn’t take down an entire shelf.  Relaxing, huh?!?!  Sometimes, at the end of the day it just isn’t worth the fight……and that is when Macaroni and Cheese saves the day and a trip to the store. Gee, I wonder why she doesn’t like veggies too often?!?!  <Insert Perfect Parenting sticker HERE>

Please don’t mistake this post for me complaining about being a Mom.  I love my daughter and I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world.  90% of the time she makes me so happy that I want to cry happy tears and do this all over again but let me tell you something, that other 10% is a challenge to say the least.  I wonder on a daily basis if I’m doing the right things with and for Kennedy.  Am I showing her how to be a great person?  Am I demonstrating what it’s like to be that great person?  Most people don’t realize this and it took me a lot of years to figure it out but our children (and us for that matter) have learned to be who we are not by what has been SAID to us over the years by our parents and peers but by what we have SEEN over the years.  My mom has taught me so much (negatively and positively) without even speaking a word.  It’s crazy how powerful our demeanor and how we carry ourselves impacts and molds our own children.  Being a parent is easy, but being a good one is one of the hardest jobs I will ever do.  I’m up for the challenge but hope and pray that in 20 years I can say ‘I done good!’

So, back to why that sign really hit me:  When I see her sharing a toy with a friend I know I have done something right.  If she begins to sing the ‘clean up song’ when I ask her to pick things up, then I am doing something right.  When she asks to wash her hands before dinner, then I have done something right. When she grabs my hand as soon as we get out of the car and holds on for dear life, then I know I have done something right. When she hugs me and kisses me goodnight and says ‘I love you momma’, then I know I have done something right. 

It’s it funny how an innocent sign will trigger all of these thoughts?