I believe that there’s too much pressure on parents these days to be that “perfect” parent. You know, the parent who sews all her baby’s clothes by hand, feeds them all organic food, doesn’t let them watch TV, etc. But is any parent really, truly perfect? Probably not. I certainly am not a perfect parent, but I do my very best to give Isla the best chance to strive.
Nonetheless, here are some of my parenting confessions, because let’s get real, it’s hard to be perfect:
– I let Isla watch TV for a least an hour a day. It’s usually in the morning so I can eat my breakfast without her coming up to me and begging like a baby bird for a bite, or around dinner time when I’m trying to cook. It’s not like I let her watch garbage – it’s almost always Sesame Street, which I have several episodes of saved on our PVR. The house could be on fire and she’ll be happily glued to the TV.
The baby bird in full begging-mode.
– Isla is a big fan of Kraft Dinner, so every now and then, I cook some up for both of us. I’ll add some fresh diced tomatoes into hers, and she devours it. I know it’s not healthy and who knows what’s in that orange powder, but there are days where you just don’t feel like making yet another ham & cheese sandwich. Ketchup is also her favourite condiment and if she’s not crazy about whatever protein we’re having for dinner, a squeeze of ketchup will usually solve the problem. Again, not healthy, but if it gets her to eat, I’m okay with it.
– I’m totally the bad cop in the household. I take things away, I do time-outs. I’m a total believer in tough love if it’s in the tough moment. I try not to coddle her either; I ‘m a big believer in letting her “cry it out” and some thing that I have a heart of stone for not allowing her screaming to get to me. (Which it does, but I have to practice will power.) If she trips and falls, I try to wait for her reaction before swooping in for to make sure she’s okay. I’m definitely “that” parent in the store who has a screaming toddler because I won’t let her have something. (Last week I was “that” mom at the park who had to carry a screaming toddler to the car because it was time to go home and someone wanted to keep playing.)
– I trust Campbell (a pit bull) with her 99% of the time. (The 1% is when he’s excited and comes barrelling through the house with no regard for anything, myself included.) I hate the stigma that pit bulls have, but Cam is a total sweetheart and loves his humans, and Isla loves her “Camel.” They really are the bestest of buds!
– Isla has her own Starbucks cup for the cup holder attached to her carseat. I bought her the cheap $1, plastic disposable cup after she was constantly trying to drink my latte, so now she can pretend that she has a coffee too. I’m sure cars that pull up beside me in traffic wonder why the hell a baby has Starbucks, but I promise you, it’s empty.
Really, my points aren’t something that the Ministry of Children needs to be alerted over. Isla has clothes on her back, her own bed to sleep in, plenty of food in her belly, and parents who love her. What more could a kid need? I grow weary of the parenting games, and am OK with doing things that works best for us.
What are your confessions?
She Writes Words 
I was just chatting with my friend who is expecting about this kind of stuff this weekend. So much pressure on parents these days, it’s really sad. I have no idea how I will be as a parent, I haven’t put a ton of thought into it, but one thing I really want to try to do is NOT yell. I grew up in a household with lots of yelling and I was really bad for doing it myself a few years ago. I want to try really hard not to be that parent who snaps at her kid and yells at them, even though I’m sure there will be times when I really want to!
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Oh my gosh, that picture of Cam and Isla is the best thing I have ever seen! And I totally agree with you on pit bulls, they have such a bad rep and it makes me sad.
I see A LOT of families come through my restaurant and I know not a single one of them is perfect. It’s one thing to let your kid watch a little TV or to give them some Kraft dinner (hey, I grew up eating that stuff and I turned out fine) but it’s another to not parent your kid at all. Seeing parents let their children run through my restaurant on a busy Sunday morning, when they could get hurt or cause someone else to get hurt, it just insane to me.
I think as long as you’re there for your kid and watching out for them the best you can then it’s all good. No need for perfection.
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I love that picture of Isla & Cam! He looks so protective of her. It’s so sweet. :)
I don’t even know if I will ever become a parent, but it makes me sad to realize how much pressure is on parents nowadays to be “perfect.” It makes me sad that you had to preface a lot of your confessions with “I know this isn’t the best but…” because who the eff cares if you want to make Kraft dinner or let her watch TV or hang out with your pit bull?! As long as she is being taken care of, not being hurt, happy, etc., that’s all that matters. You are doing a great job!
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I let Topher (and Ellie!) watch TV in the mornings if I need a break, and the TV is usually on whenever I’m cooking too, because I hate having littles underfoot when I’m in the kitchen. We eat KD or McD’s at least once/week, and the only “organic” food in my fridge is something I bought by accident. Nathan’s more of the “bad cop” than I am, but I definitely enforce time in the naughty chair and take away toys/babies if Topher doesn’t cooperate! You do what works for you and your family, right?
I showed Topher that picture of Isla and Campbell – he doesn’t like pit bulls because one bit Chloe last fall, but after he saw that picture he called his Grandma on the phone and said “Grandma, did you know that some bully dogs are nice? Like, really nice? I didn’t know that!” It was cute :)
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That is one of the best things I’ve heard all day, that Topher realized that pit bulls can be nice! I’m glad Campbell was able to show off his awesome skills for him. :)
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Right now my biggest confession is that I sometimes hold Baby Bun until he falls asleep instead of letting him sleep and fall asleep on the bed by himself… but then again he’s pretty much a newborn.
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