Today as I was preparing lunch I pondered on the amount of ridiculous things I do for my kids. What made me think of this was the fact that I was peeling Tyler's apple. I slice and core an apple, and then I cut the skin off before serving it to him. It is pure ridiculousness, if you ask me. Now, without thinking, I've begun doing it to Alexis' apple slices as well. The reason I did it in the first place is because Tyler simply would not eat it with the skin on, and I was desperate to get more fruits and vegetables in him. But now it's habit, and it's a bit ridiculous.
Then there's the matter of their special blankets and three stuffed animals they sleep with. As soon as the kids get up in the morning they are dragged downstairs, and left to sit on my living room floor until I get too annoyed and make the kids move them or I move them myself. And then every night because they've been dragged all over we have to spend time searching for everything they "need" to sleep with. Ridiculousness.
There's a fine line between doing ridiculous things for your kids because you are hoping for a positive end result, and getting walked all over. Consistency is not my strong suit, so I'm afraid most days I'm straddling this line more than I care too.
For example, I peel the apple because I want him to eat his fruit. I let them carry around their blankets because I like that they have a comforting item (and because I remember when my mom took my blanket away from me!) that brings them so much happiness. But why do I spend 5 minutes before each bath arguing over which toys they can and cannot take into the bath, when the bath already has toys in it? And why don't I always make them eat their crusts? And why do I let them watch "Dinosaur Train" in the morning even though they've been fighting since they woke up?
Because mom's do ridiculous things. And mom's aren't perfect. Right? And some days I don't want to argue. Some days I want to feel like my kids like me. Other days I guess I just want to be mean...or at least that's what Alexis and Tyler will tell you. Sometimes I just don't have all the answers, and there doesn't seem to be a book I could look some of them up in.
Last night as I was putting Alexis to bed I told her that I love her lots and lots. She replied with, "I love you lots and lots. More than you love me!" What she doesn't understand is that I love her more than she can ever comprehend. She'll be a parent someday and will then understand, but she will never know because everyone is different and every love is different. But all that love is why I do the ridiculous things I do, which I guess can only mean it's going to get worse.
To make me feel better the next time I'm taking the skin off an apple slice, tell me about some of the ridiculous things you do for your kids.
7 comments:
Since we moved (off and on) Katelee has been coming into our bed sometime around 2 a.m. every night. It is RIDICULOUS but at 2 a.m. I don't usually care enough to do anything about it. It's not until I'm fully awake in the morning that I get fed up with the ridiculousness of it all... By then it's too late to do anything about it. We've tried the bed on the floor, bribery, threats... someone help us!
what a cute post!
My friend still blows on ALL her children's food to cool it off... Her son will be in Jr High next year.
Lucas wants me to "feed him like a baby" every morning. So almost every morning we spoon feed him oatmeal or cereal, even though he's perfectly capable of feeding himself...I'm always worried about him going hungry, even though it's silly, because it's natural consequence if you won't feed yourself, but I can't stand thinking of him on an empty stomach
Ah, This is great! Puts to bed
many misnomers I've seen
Some days I do way too many things for my kids just to save myself the argument and hassle. To me, sometimes peace in the house is just more important :)
One thing that I often do is help my daughter get dressed (she especially wants me to help her line her socks up right so that she can't feel the "stripe"), even though she CAN do it herself now. Sometimes I make my kids clear off their own dishes, and sometimes I forget and just do it myself. Sometimes I insist my daughter finish more of her meal, and sometimes I just don't have it in me to force the issue. The list could go on and on (trust me, it could REALLY go on and on). Consistency is not one of my strong points as a parent. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who has this issue sometimes :)
What a PERFECT post! I too am a sucker for blankies. In fact, I have already given Tanner a blanket or two...and he sleeps with them every nap and every night. :) Jake and Carson both have their blankets too! One of my favorite things to say to myself is "pick and choose your battles Tiff." And...sometimes I just fight like mad to keep it my way. Why? I don't know....maybe I need to feel in control. (Which is probably why I yell too much.) But, I did the apple thing for a while, and quit. I do know that I let them play the video games that they beg to play every minute of every day WAY too often. I also don't fight Carson when he wants to sit in Jake's seat on the way to pick him up from school. (I even let them drive here and there....with Aaron's HUGE disaproval.) But, I remember my parents letting me...and what a great memory that is! No one turn me in to DCFS please!
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