except LOVE!!

Parenting is such an interesting experience. I find it interesting to watch other parents who are hands on try to juggle the parenting with the teaching with the discipline and I've realized a few things. If you try to keep up with every freaking fad then you're going to drive yourself crazy and in turn drive your kids crazy because they "can't do ANYTHING" and "everyone else gets to!" I find that I often struggle with balancing my adult fun time with the kid fun time and have even started incorporating them. I mean, my friends have kids and those that don't are just like extra aunts and uncles for my boys. They talk to them, teach them, and provide them with a wider and stronger support base. A lot of my friends have even made it to the kids soccer games this season, all in all it's been pretty exciting!

I've decided that my parenting style is this. Teach my kids about EVERYTHING and teach them MODERATION and how to make their OWN GOOD DECISIONS!!! I'm approaching teaching my kids the same way one would approach a caveman (a VERY smart cave man!!) in that I want to make sure that if someone is angry my kids should understand what made that person angry and that it's okay to be angry but you can't be angry and make everyone else angry around you too. I want them to say, no thanks, I can't have that chocolate bar until I ask my mom. or even, no thanks, I can't have that chocolate bar because I have to eat my dinner first. I want them to understand the reasons a choice is good and the reasons it's bad and to trust in their own decision making skills. I want them to lay off the sugar as much as possible but will find a sugar free ice cream bar or make an exception on special occassions. Those are the things that make special occasions special right!! Getting to do something you usually don't.

I guess in some way the whole "modern mom" concept isn't really fitting with me. I think baby formula is FINE! I don't think artificial sweeteners cause cancer and I don't think that being embarrassed by my kids but not explaining to them how they embarass me is okay. I don't think organic foods are better and in fact, believe it to be more of a marketing gimic. Look at the foods that came out "lower fat" or "no trans fat" well that doesn't mean it's "fat free" that means that one kind of fat has been removed and doesn't make the food healthier.

Maybe part of it is holding on to the "rebel" feelings I had as a teenager and maybe part of it is that I believe in eliminating sugar but not eliminating child hood. Splenda is a safe and healthy alternative so why not?? Sometimes it seems like if you aren't all GUNG HO with each new trend that you're doing something wrong and "permanantly damaging" your children. I know most of the "damage" that was inflicted on me as a child was lack of communication and understanding of human behavior. I came to my own conclusions and most of the time was DEAD WRONG. I want to bless my children with the gift of insight and a thorough understanding and belief in moderation in all things, except LOVE!!