Parenting is probably the most challenging yet rewarding job we will ever be assigned. It will make your stomach hurt from laughter and your head hurt from stress. For some of us it was an unexpected, life altering career change and for others of us it was a planned and welcomed change.
Next to being a wife, being a mom is “IT” for me. My children are my next great love. I have three kids; 2 girls (4 and 6 years old) and a 2 year old son. Contrary to what everyone told me, having two is much different than having one and having three is much different than having two.
- They all have different personalities. They all like different foods. They are all at different stages of development. And raising a boy is drastically different than raising a girl. There are a lot of parenting techniques and approaches for the “right and wrong” ways to raising kids, but what I have found out is that you have to figure out what works for you and your house, and go with that.
Having multiple children with varying wants and needs has the potential to stress a parent out. How do we nurture their differences, giving each child what they need without neglecting the other children? I am a believer that all children have “quality time” as one of their dominate love languages.
- I have learned that “family time” is high on my children’s priority list. They don’t care if I make it through the whole episode of one of their shows as long as I start it with them. We “rock out” on the way to school as a family to whatever their favorite song of the day is. We eat together as much as our schedules allow. I am learning to say yes more than I say no when; not always successful, but I try.
- I have also learned to pick and choose my battles. I give them choices (even my son). If it isn’t going to make a difference I let them decide what vegetables they want to eat for dinner or what outfit they want to wear for the day.
- I have learned that it is easier to let them have what they want then to fight with them over what I want them to have. I use their ability to make decisions for themselves as moments to teach them about good choices verses bad choices and to celebrate them when they make a decision that has made them proud.
Parenting isn’t always easy but it is definitely worth it when they smile at you and tell you they love you. Everything seems right when you watch them sleep at night and realize that the day may have had its ups and downs but you survived it together.