Ah, the Joys of Parenting

Guilt.

You can see it, can't you?  

This is what I call a parenting dilemma.  I know what he did wrong. I know I don't want him to do it again. But how do I get from point A to point B? I considered my options:

1) Freak out. (That works sometimes.)

2) Let him eat the candy cane, because he's just a baby.

3) Only decorate the top half of the tree from now on.

4) Blame his brother for not watching him.

5) Teach.

Why is "teach" always the last option that we try?

Well I got it right THIS time at least. I'm getting better at this parenting thing. (Although I'm always going to hold on to option #1 as my backup plan.)

Here's what I did.  I ever-so-calmly taught.  "Oh no! My candy cane! What happened to it? I'm so sad. My candy cane was so pretty on the tree and now it's all broken. Who broke it? I hope it wasn't Gregory because the tree is no no no." (Repeating no no no about twenty times.)

Greg didn't cry. (He is notorious for crying.) Instead he frowned and carefully laid the candy cane back on the tree. He kept arranging it until it looked just right. Except for that one part that's sort of missing.  And then he gave me a hug.

(Good move, because he was about to get a baby spank.)

Greg watched as I threw the candy cane in the garbage can. And that was the end of that. No more ornament snatching in his future. He's been clean for a week now.

Next situation.  I don't think I need to explain this one too much.  Jonathan learned that when Mom says "You're going to stay right there until your homework is finished!" she really means it.  He stayed. He slept. And eventually finished.  

I am a strange parent. I know I am. I hear my friends talk about what their kids did and how they responded and I generally think to myself "WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU THINKING?!?!"  But it's okay. I know I'm strange.  And it's because I have strange parents.

(Yes, I really just wrote that.)

I'm so grateful for my parents who taught me that right is right and wrong is wrong. That people and possessions are to be respected.  That rules are in place for our happiness and that whenever we think we are the exception, we are probably wrong. That there really aren't any good excuses for bad behavior.  I always knew my parents were right, even as a teenager, I really did.  I just didn't realize until now how hard it is to TEACH those principles. My parents are amazing. 

Story: Last week I found a lightbulb on the ground outside. It had fallen from our high night light. It wasn't broken - weird - but I still had to figure out how to replace it because it had burned out.  I took the lightbulb to my dad to see if he knew what kind it was. He wasn't home so I left it there.

A few days later he showed up at my house. With a loader, a ladder, and a big lightbulb.

Seriously?

If you can't tell, that is really, really high. And crazy. He rode up in the bucket and then climbed up the ladder. The wind was blowing pretty hard. When he saw me come out with the camera he said, "You know I wouldn't do this for just anybody, right?"

But what I was thinking was, "Not just anybody would do this for me, right?"

That's not all. He replaced the lightbulb but the light didn't turn on. Oh yeah, it's a night light. He held his hand over it for five minutes until it turned on. And then it wouldn't turn off.  He tested it for awhile (way up in the air) and decided it needed a new sensor - from the part store that's an hour away.

By that night, it had a new part and the light was on when we returned from our Christmas outing.

My daddy loves me.

(My mommy too.)

I'm sure they don't feel like they are perfect parents but they ARE wonderful examples to me. I'm eventually going to figure out all the best answers in this journey we call parenthood.

I think it comes down to respect, responsibility, consistency, and just plain hard work. I'm grateful to have a husband who has the same goals. We'll get there.

Kids, please take it easy on us.

Mom and Dad, thank you.