No Mom Is Perfect

One of the downfalls of being a parent is having to discipline your child.  You hate having to tell them no 10 million times and correcting them when they do wrong.  It is not a point of trying to be a cool parent or a laid back parent but you discipline to help mold and guide your child to be the best they can be regardless if they grow up to work at McDonald's or be a millionaire.  You want them to be respectful, loving, strong willed, independent, and most of all happy.

As a parent, you are also growing with the child and learning.  This morning, as I was in the shower and Caleb walks in crying like he does every morning because I am not in bed with him, I started thinking about where I have gone wrong with Caleb.  I admit I have done wrong.  I should have been more stern with him about sleeping in his own bed.  I should have been more stern with him on potty training.  I should have been more stern about him picking up his toys.  Now, I realize I have to start making some adjustments to get these things corrected.  Because I wasn't stricter and more firm with him doing the above earlier, I now have to crack down even harder.

I admit I am not a perfect mom.  I try to do what is best for my family.  I thought letting Caleb sleep in our bed would mean more sleep for all of us.  It does to some point but I have also created a child who will not sleep by himself at all now.  I thought letting him potty train when he was ready would be easier for all of us and he wouldn't fight it as much.  Not true, now I have a child who won't go because..his words...."I don't want to."  I thought letting him play with toys and having them all over the place was no big deal.  It wasn't hurting anything.  Now, I have a child who doesn't want to pick up his toys because he doesn't care if they are all over the place but I do because the toys are getting bigger and more pieces to them and I keep finding them everywhere.

Now, I have to do my Suck It Up Mom and realize I need to start enforcing the rules on Caleb to help him grow up well (and be potty trained before he is 4 years old...Ugh).  And realize being a disciplining parent, still makes you the cool parent.