By the time I was 12 I was an expert on raising kids. I loved babysitting for my brothers and sisters and members in my ward. When other peoples kids threw fits and acted up I would always think to myself, "When I have kids they're not going to get away with any of that." I was simply going to discipline them the way kids needed to be disciplined and my kids would learn to behave. If they threw a fit in the store because they didn't get a treat than I would take them straight to the car and leave so they learn that fits don't work. If they start crying in the restaurant than once again we'll go straight home so they don't get to eat and magically they will stop throwing fits. When I was a teenager and started rebelling I became an expert on raising teens. If I listen to my kids when they are teens than they won't act out. If I'm approachable than I will always be their best friend. I knew how to keep my future kids from acting the way I did in high school.
How is it that an expert like myself gave birth to devil children!? Do you mean to say I don't know everything about parenting? When I was pregnant with Kiana everyone warned me on how hard my life was going to be after she was born. I was prepared for the worst and I was pleasantly surprised. As a newborn she was easy peasy. Of course I was sleep deprived and getting use to carrying a car seat everywhere I go but she was a good baby. I fell in love and she could do no wrong. I couldn't see what all the other parents were warning me about. This was fun! I guess I really am a parenting expert and my kids will be angels because of it........ and than she turned 2. She turned into a total diva. She didn't know that your whiny voice is not your regular voice. She screamed, threw things including her own head and kicked, hit, bit and cried. That's when I realized I know nothing! Than Tristan came along. He was the happiest, smiliest, funniest baby ever. That lasted for about a year. He hit the terrible two's early. Now I have two of the hardest children ever!
I have learned that all kids are incredibly and beautifully unique. Sometimes that uniqueness is also what makes them monsters. If you are lucky enough to have a well behaved, easy child than count your blessings and stop having kids cause your luck will run out eventually. My mother raised 13 kids and always tells me how she had several easy kids in a row. She thought she had this parenting thing down. Than my older brother and I came along to show her otherwise. We turned her world upside down and she had already raised several kids. Shouldn't she know everything by now?
It's hard raising kids in a world full of judging inexperienced experts. When my kids hit, bite, pull hair and scream at each other I can feel their condescending eyes looking at me as if to say "Look at my baby, she's perfect because I know how to parent. You should really learn to control your kids." Sometimes I feel like I must be wearing a sign on my forehead that says, "Please tell me what I'm doing wrong with my kids because I'm clueless." I usually hold back when the experts like to give me their opinion but I would really like to say, "When you have raised at least 6 perfectly behaved angels past their teen years than maybe I will hear your opinion." Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't want to better myself or that I don't think anyone has anything good to say. It's just that I already know my kids and I aren't perfect and I don't need to be reminded of it every time they act up. If you think you can do a better job than you are more than willing to take them for a while and fix them. I will go backpacking in Europe and you can just give me a call when they've turned into angels.
I use to be an expert myself so I have to keep myself from judging the other experts of the world. In fact sometimes I turn back into the expert I once was and I have to catch myself.
At the end of the day when I put my kids to sleep and they give me a big hug and a kiss than I am satisfied with the job I've done. When my daughter puts her arms around my neck and tells me I'm her best friend in the whole world, all of a sudden I don't care what any of the parent experts think.
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