Must Be Doing Something Right

Have you ever felt like you are just not doing anything right with your kids? They never listen. Talk back. Make huge messes. Don't eat their dinner. Hit, push or shove their sibling.

Well, let me tell you, I feel like that all the time. A couple weeks ago I was watching Oprah. I rarely watch Oprah and just happened to stumble across an episode about Women, after marriage and children. It was really interesting to me. One topic they discussed was how as mothers we feel like we are judged too much by other mothers. And we and the other judging mothers need to understand what is good for one child or family may not be good for another. And while I agree with that I don't seem to have that problem. My issues come from men and women without kids who pass judgements about the way I raise my two sweet boys. And let me tell you it is often. 

I too can remember the days before I got pregnant with Brode, Micah and I would talk all night about our future family and how we'd raise our kids and how they'd behave in sacrament and how we'd punish them for everyday "no-No's". And while we had the best intentions, we truly had absolutely no idea what we were talking about. Sure we'd seen how Micah's amazing sister raised her little ones and hoped we could be like that. We also had examples of what we didn't want our kids to be like. We had a lot to compare. But like I said, you truly never really know until you get there. 

Brode is 2, with his 3rd birthday just 5 months away. He is difficult. I love him so much and I love to watch him learn and test limits. Parenting, mothering is not an easy job. But I love it. Somedays I want to scream and lock him in his room all day and other days he is my sweet little buddy who shares and listens and eats dinner. 

I feel pretty positive about my job on most days. I get great support from other mothers who have been in my shoes or who are dealing with toddlers as well. What truly gets me down is the judgement from women who do not have kids and have no clue what it is like. It is extremely hurtful, but at the same time and I can't help but laugh and know that their day is soon to come.

The "I Must Be Doing Something Right" moment. 

Last week we had dinner with Micah's family. All the family. Brode ran around with his cousins and played. Dinner was the furthest thing from his mind, which was no surprise, he never wants to eat dinner. He knew we would have cake for dessert to celebrate all the birthdays in April and May. I reminded him 2 times that he still needed to eat his dinner before he could have cake and then I dropped it. Everyone was done eating dinner and serving cake. I turned to find Brode in all the chaos and he was sitting up in his chair eating his hotdog surround by cousins who were stuffing their faces with ice cream cake. YES!!!! What an awesome boy. He cleaned up his plate and then enjoyed his dessert too. I must be doing something right!