More Questions

I realize and apologize for my previous post being a bit ramble. It started out as a comment for Ordinary Sarah and turned into my rant.

I do feel strongly about children being taught responsibility from a young age. My parents had four children until I was nine. Them they adopted one more. We lived in a four bedroom hone with a basement that my Dad and brothers finished themselves. We had a kitchen makeover that we did. I remember wanting to redo my room around the age of 14 and being told I could but I had to help strip the wallpaper and paint. I remember, as the youngest, being excited when Incould finally do all the things that my older brothers had been doing for as long as I can remember!! It was exciting getting to help cut veggies or make the lemonade and then to actually cook!! It meant I was "old enough". It meant I was no longer "little".

Now that I have my own little ones, I take comfort in teaching them how to contribute. Captain feeds the cats and helps pull weeds. Princess helps in the kitchen. Right now that is because that is what they LOVE to help with. They also pick up and put away toys and carry their clean laundry and put away things in their drawers. As they gt older heir tasks will increase appropriately. Rest assured that ALL of my children will be self-sufficient. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, basic carpentry, auto repair, and home maintenance will be taught to them all. This Mama ain't raising no belles or dandies!! No offense to Southern friends!!

That also causes me to question this:

When you were expecting, what doctors orders did you follow without question and for how long?

I ask because we had some trouble getig pregnant and when we finally were, we followed what our doc said without question!

No caffeiene, quit it cold turkey! No undercooked foods, we didn't have any alcohol on the house so BB could join me in my not drinking.(not that I would have but a nice gesture nonetheless). Plenty of fresh produce and healthy foods, but only an extra 300 calories a day were added to my diet.

With Princess I was a bit more relaxed. I had more caffeine, more calories and little less healthy choices. By the time Littlest One was on the way I snorted in derision with each swig of coffee I took.

In addition to this question, Inask you this:

Now that you have children, regardless of age, what habits did you swear off that actually stayed off? Which things did you "never in my family" that you have kept hold of and which have crept ( or smashed) back into your life?


Mine, in no particular order:

No food or beverages in the vehicles!
No TV babysitting!!
Never leaving the kids in the car to run into a store really quickly.
No fast food as bribery
No bribery to elicit good behavior
Consistent discipline across the board
Modeling 60 minutes of activity daily
Fosterig their imagination by makng them play outdoors whenever possible
Reading stories and singing songs every day
Homeschooling my children
Teaching them Scriptures to memorize

I must admit that MOST of the good ideas are still something happening daily in our family, but somate most of the things Indidnt want to occur. I think Capt was not even a year old the first time I handed him an animal cracker in the rental car on the way from the airport Tommy In-Laws' house. Now our truck looks like a box of Cheerios exploded inside it!!

I do read and sing and we do play outside at every opportunity but that is because I need to do it. I only hope that thy develop a love for it!! TV as a sitter happens more than I'd like to admit but will say that as I prepare dinner most days the kids are watching something.

My dirty little secret is that while Lttlest One naps the big kids are left to run amok as I do my chores...


What "Bad Parent" things do you indulge in at your house?