Remember While Parenting

Parents cannot expect respect and obedience from their children unless they respect their children also. At the same rate, children cannot expect their parents to respect them unless they respect their parents. This goes beyond simply “deciding” to respect one another. Parents must set an example that their children would be proud of. The “because I said so” answer is completely ridiculous. The answer should be, “because you trust me and know that I want what’s best for you.” When a relationship is based off of trust, love, and respect, clashing is reduced to a minimum and things seem to work out much more smoothly. 

This is a little thing to remember, but I find it highly important. When trying to teach your kid a lesson, don’t circumnavigate around the main point that you’re trying to get across. Just say it. And make sure you answer their questions, with a yes or a no. Otherwise they’ll just keep asking until they get a straight answer, which will most likely piss you off. So to avoid all this calamity, just be straight up with your kids. That’s pretty much it. 

Remember what it felt like to be your kid’s age. No really. Remember? Not to say that being a teenager is harder than being an adult. However, at that age, with our level of experience, it’s the hardest time of our lives. When that special someone breaks our heart, we’re sure we’ll never love again. When we get stabbed in the back, we don’t know how we’ll recover. Juggling school, sports, family, friends, relationships, and extra activities seems impossible. Now imagine dealing with all of this and not yet knowing exactly who you are or who you want to be. We know we’re not going through WW2, but for us it FEELS like it. So try to be compassionate, understanding, and give us advice if we ask for it. 

Being a parent isn’t just putting food on the table and a roof over their head. It is being there, through all things. No matter how much kids may deny it, even to themselves, there is no substitute for a mother or father. That’s not to say that a grandparent or family friend isn’t equally as important as a biological parent, but if you ARE that biological parent, it is your responsibility to be there. And to be involved WITHOUT hovering. Sometimes we need you more than you think. 

Parents should not only hear their children’s opinion and beliefs. They should honest to goodness, listen. With their heart. See if they can understand. Try to understand.  Because everything said and done has a motive. And unless you know what it is, you can’t judge a thing. 

I wasn’t planning on ever using this blog as a diary, but since no one follows me except for you and I’m really upset, it doesn’t really matter. I love my mom. I used to think she was perfect. Now I realize her flaws. Not like she shouldn’t have flaws, its just that now I’m noticing. She seems to believe she has everyone figured out. HA! She usually gets pretty good first impressions, I’ll give her that. However, that gives her no right to judge my friend’s dependability or the sincerity of our friendship. She doesn’t think he’ll show up to my sweet sixteen because he told me he might not be able to go. And when I told her she doesn’t even know him, she replied with, “I know enough.” That’s BS, she knows crap about him. It’d be like me judging one of her friends. That would NOT be okay. Obviously, I was pissed because she was insulting him and insinuating that he didn’t care about me, which insulted me. And THEN she proceeded to tell me that it wasn’t an insult, no, she was just telling me that she knew he wasn’t going to show, not because he doesn’t like me, because “he has other things that are important to him.” Even after I explained why he MIGHT not be able to go, she stuck with her original response. That’s another thing. She cannot handle being wrong about ANYTHING. I don’t care what it is, she has the hardest time admitting that she was wrong. She rarely does it. And when she does, you can tell she’s hating it. The worst part of all of this is that if he doesn’t show up, she will most definitely pull the classic “I told you so” just to prove herself right and make me feel like dirt. As much as I love her and am grateful for everything she does and what a good mother she is, she drives me crazy and I don’t know how to deal with her. She acts like I have no right to be upset. She basically tells me my friendship with this kid isn’t important to him and then expects me to not be upset? Yeah, sorry if I get a little pissed off. Her assumptions are ridiculous and hurtful. Just because she might not MEAN them to be, doesn’t mean they aren’t. I want to remember this so I don’t do this to my kids. So, RWP #1: Do not jump to conclusions, put too much value on first impressions, assume the worst of people, or pretend to know someone when you most definitely do not.

Jack is amazing at Just Dance. He goes all out.

“I Scream You Scream” by Mara Salisbury

SLOTH: 

I JUST DIED

This is like me, everyday after practice. 

(via just-breath-e)