The Things I Said I Would NEVER Do As A Parent

I had such high expectations for myself as a mother a little too high perhaps.  There are so many things I told myself I would never do as a parent and so many of them I do and shamelessly.

My children will never eat a McDonald’s

OK so it seams a bit crazy that I put it on myself that my children would NEVER eat a McDonald’s. It’s hardly the food of Satan but I was determined to have an all natural, organic, all ways a home cooked meal kind of baby. How nieave you were 19 year old me, so nieave.

Sure with baby number one for the first year I had my little veggie baby, full 5 a day at least, he didnt even know what chocolate was and treats were fruit (whilst I hid behind the kitchen door scoffing chocolate). Family members sure wanted to fill my baby full of crap including the dreaded M word and soon I gave in. Little veggie ate those nuggets like it was nectar, as if my home cooking was bad or something (as if) and this was the meal of Kings. I still rarely let him have these treats well into his second year and he turned out to be ‘that kid’ at the party. You know the one who isn’t at all interested in the balloons, music or flashing lights but instead wants to sit under the food table sneaking chocolate biscuits and cakes. All three of my boys only have their McDonald’s as a treat but we just happen to have treats a lot more these days. All the over thinking about food has gone way out the window as long as it’s 90% good I’m fine with the other 10%.

The routine would never be broken

Routine is important for children we all know that. I was so desperate for sleep bedtime was planned like a military operation. At 18.00 hours bath time would not be a minute late. Story time 18.30 hours and lights out. I loved my boy being in bed at 6.45 every night it meant I had time to do things in the evening like collapse on the sofa and eat ice cream while staring at the scattered toys across the floor that I should probably have been picking up. It isn’t always that easy and the routine became more relaxed once baby number two and three came along. When I was sitting there in the evening with my sweet babe asleep on me (sweet now he had stopped the screaming) I sure didn’t want to rush upstairs and start the routine for the older two boys who would be happily watching some kind of dancing bear on the TV. Bedtime routine now a days is more of a guideline and I don’t stress about it so much.

Half an hour of TV a day

This one went out of the window pretty quick. I’ve heard over and over how a TV should not be used as a babysitter. Well that babysitter got me though a day after 2 hours sleep the night before. Through the breastfeeding every hour phase that had me prisoner on the sofa unable to entertain a 6 and 3 year old. Or just through the hour I needed to pull myself together because some arse at the baby group scoffed at me because I’d put my top on inside out due to pure exhaustion and I’d questioned my parenting (and self dressimg) skills entirely because of this one situation. We mostly play out side getting filthy and non stop running at the park so I’m good with the kids spending time with the virtual babysitter in the evenings!