Reflecting on your parenting journey – would you be a candidate to win parent of the year?
They don’t seem to have suffered too much, do they?!
I’m the first to admit that I’m not!
I yell sometimes. I lose my temper. Some nights I can’t be bothered to cook dinner, so let the family fend for themselves (we call them DIY nights!).
I’ve Done My Best …
Like most Mums I’ve done my best over the years. I tried to breastfeed (though it didn’t go so well – it’s much harder than it looks!), and used cloth nappies rather than disposable whenever possible. I lovingly cooked and pureed my own baby food, kept the house tidy, sewed shorts for my son, and included plenty of educational experiences and outings into our days.
I read to them often, volunteered at their schools, helped them with homework.
And do you know, my kids hardly remember ANY of these things?!
However there are a couple of moments in my parenting journey that are so outstandingly bad, my kids still take much delight in reminding me about them!
Why I’ll Never Win Parent of the Year: Example 1
When Mr 19 was much smaller, he played soccer for a couple of seasons. He was so little back then, and being a good mum, I often froze my butt off on the sidelines while cheering him on.
Over time I got chatting with some of the other parents and that, alas, was the problem. The one time my son actually scored a goal, I was so busy talking to another parent that I missed it. Yep, months of faithfully racing home from work to attend each game, rugging up against the cold, encouraging my son to keep trying and … in his moment of triumph I didn’t even notice. Instant parenting fail!
Why I’ll Never Win Parent of the Year: Example 2
Miss 16 has always loved cooking, craft and making things. When she was about 8 or 9 she learned how to make pom poms at school. That night she came to me with a newly started pom pom and said, “Mum, be honest with me, do you think this is really good or really lame?”
I must have been a bit distracted because I told her it was really lame – and have never lived it down! (What I *really* meant was that as she had just started it, there really wasn’t much for me to judge it on, but of course it would be great by the time she finished it. Unfortunately it didn’t come out that way and understandably she was shocked by my rather blunt comeback!)
Why is it that they always remember the BAD things but never the GOOD things we’ve done?!
What was your most epic parenting fail, the one that means you’ll never win parent of the year?!