Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Be a Fantastic Parent #4

4. Give yourself a Break. Hitting the drive-through when you're too tired to cook doesn't make you a bad parent.

I may take this one to extremes sometimes... but sometimes a pregnant gal has cravings. And soemtimes those cravings include McD's cheeseburgers and a chocolate milkshake. And most of those times, there is a little voice behind my head saying "Baba?" as we pull up to the drive through. Ryan loves burgers and fries... and although I know that some of my mommy friends are cringing as they read this... I know that I am not a bad parent by occassionally giving in to MY needs, so long as his are met, too.

I won't even say that kids shouldn't know what a Happy Meal is... nor will I say that you should choose healthy options... that's not what this is about. The point is that sometimes as a parent, we need to trust ourselves that we won't screw over our children by allowing them to experience life the way that everyone else does. Yeah... Ryan should eat more veggies. He knows that dessert comes at the end of a meal. He doesn't get soda in a sippy cup. And he watches TV. ::gasp:: But sometimes, it's not about being the Stepford Mom. Sometimes it's about being happy that I get to see him get excited about something, having a good time... while I was able to take a break from my neverending job of being a Mom.

2 comments:

Megan said...

Well said!!!

Courtney said...

I agree with you! Aidan loves fries but doesn't expect them at home. He sure does know what a drive-thru is though! And he is so very excited whenever we go to Chik-fil-A. That's his favorite place to eat- and I don't feel so bad feeding him chicken and fruit and fries for dinner every now and then!

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