I’m Doing Okay

Ever have a day where you just feel like a bad parent?  Worry about what your kids are/are not learning from you words and actions?

We all do.  (It’s not just me, right?)

Those are the days I sit back and take a closer look at my kids to see how I’m really doing. 

Here’s how I know I’m doing okay:

1.  Every time my preschooler gets her milk from the fridge she also gets her little brother’s.  Every time.

2.  I often hear our preschooler trying to calm her brother down when he gets upset.  “It’s okay.  Calm down, Honey…”  (Very grown up sounding when she does it, mind you.)

3.  When McDonald’s had Smurfs in the Happy Meals my daughter saw how much her brother liked his Smurf and decided he could have hers too.  No prompting.  No whining about it later.  All on her own.  (Pretty good for a 3 1/2 year old, I think.)

4.  Our daughter likes to ask her daddy if he needs a back rub after work.  She then proceeds to give him one.

5.  When our toddler finds one of his sister’s stuffed animals in the living room, he tells me it is hers and then he runs to find her to give it to her.

6.  When he saw his big sister crying the other day, my toddler went and got her “snuggie” for her.  (That’s what they call their security objects.)

7.  When my toddler was scared to go in his room because the light was off, his big sister said, “I’ll go with you.”  Then she took his hand and helped him turn on his light.

8.  Last week they were fighting over a new riding toy I had bought our son.  His sister was on it and he kept crying, “Mine!”  Even though I had told him she was just taking a turn, he was still super upset, and she wound up getting off the toy.  He jumped on it and walked it around the kitchen for a long time, and then he said, “Pea’ut’s turn!”  and got off and brought it to her.  I didn’t even have to ask him to let her have another turn… (No, Peanut isn’t her real name, just what I use on here…)  (Mind you, we still have plenty of squabbles, but at least this let me know they DO LISTEN and understand taking turns…)

Your turn.  Take a minute today and remind yourself what GOOD things you’ve taught your kids.

How have they shown you what a good job you’re doing?

Oh!  And last chance to enter the SafetyTats giveaway!