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Sparkle (2)
I once said, "I parent better in public." It was a true statement at the time, and I've been working on it ever since. That's why I absolutely adored this post by Angie at The Little Mumma. She compared parenting to the opposite of dancing. Also, she gives you permission to say, "Today sucked." It's the perfect, honest post for the hard stuff of parenting.
Here's her dancing vs. parenting comparison:
We were at a play centre yesterday and LD pushed another little boy twice before hitting him in the face.
Ummmm, that's my boy?
We took him aside and explained that if that behaviour continued, we would be going home. The message was calm and controlled. It worked.
It hit me then. Parenting is the reverse of dancing. As in, while one should dance like no-one is watching, I propose we parent like EVERYONE is watching. Because I parent better with an audience. I take a deep breath and I act rather than react. My parenting is thoughtful rather than emotional.
When no-one is watching? I am capable of lazy, anger/exhaustion/apathy -driven parenting. Which is not only upsetting for everyone but unlikely to elicit the desired result of better behaviour.
Photo Credit: jcapaldi.
