Yesterday we got over fifteen inches of snow here in CT.
All the kids were home from school.
Number 5 was still recovering from (f*cking) Norovirus, and I never even got out of my pajamas.
By 7 pm last night, this is what things looked like.
I was reduced to letting Number 5 style my hair.
So glamorous.
Needless to say, after about fourteen consecutive days of at least one kid being home sick from school followed by a snow day with every single one of them home, I was presented with just about every parenting challenge known to mankind.
I know I wasn’t alone yesterday.
And two questions came to mind.
First, when it comes to your children and their behavior, what are the things that drive you crazy? What are the challenges that you face right now?
And then the other question…
What are the characteristics and life skills that you are really hoping to teach your kids? What are the things you think are really important for them to learn?
I’m working on something, and I’d really love to hear your thoughts! (And I’d also love to hear what state/country/area you live in if you are willing to share that info too)!
I’ll start…
The kids fighting challenges the living hell out of me, and one thing I’m hoping to teach my kids is accountability, because I think we are seriously lacking that as a society.
Okay! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
For my 12 yr old it’s her ego. Instead of taking direction she does things her own way, wastes time, wastes ingredients, rolls her eyes and gets frustrated with someone telling her what to do she already knows it all. The reason this is frustrating is because it doesn’t need to be fixed. It’s her way of doing things. Her process. Really I have to respect that and let her learn it on her own when I want to hurry up and move on to the next thing. The challenge with my 16 year old is laziness if it’s not required or interesting to her then it’s not worth doing. Putting the clean laundry in the dresser or taking the writing portion of the SAT maybe even using soap in the shower. This one is frustrating because when it does matter to her it’s done to perfection and she’s brilliant. Aside from accountability as a parent I like push compassion and empathy.
Whining. It drives me insane.
Challenges? How one child says he hates the other one.
Dealing with a 13 year old girl.
Overcompensating for the hell I put them through while married to their dad (he was abusive).
Northern California
Challenges:
When they fight with each other and hit etc.
When they do the exact opposite of what we ask them to do and smile bc they just want to annoy the s*** out of you.
Something I’d like to teach them:
hard work pays off.
Be kind to everyone, even to people who weren’t kind to you.
Give people a chance before you label them.
I’m from WI
When I ask them to do something, I just want them to do it. I can’t deal with the immediate argument or complaining.
I would like them to defend themselves and stick up for people who are being picked on or made fun of and just to be kind.
I am in Connecticut
Hello from western PA…
What challenges me most with my 4 yr old is him believing it is my job to keep him entertained. Its frustrating as hell, but I know I contribute to the problem. The kindle. Sucky you tube videos. Dvds and Netflix…if its not one of these things, or legos, he isn’t interested. Unless I do it too.
My 15 yr old girl has a completely different set of challenges. Laziness. Being responsible for her belongings and doing her chores without me riding her ass every step of the way. Those are the main ones.
I hope to teach my kids to be responsible humans. Empathy and kindness. And to be true to themselves, even when its easier to float along with the group.
My kids are 6, almost 4, and 7 months. What drives me crazy is the whining and lack of kind words between my 2 oldest (they’ve never really gotten along very well). I want to teach them how to use words, spoken in a respectful, kind, and appropriate way to move towards the things they want/need. We’re in Indiana.
My biggest challenge is being ignored. I have a 9 year old and a 6 year old. We’re in Ontario Canada.