Things we SAID we would never do as Parents

[Goobergal99]

I used to always say that there was no way my child would be in a stroller over the age of three. I would make comments to DH all the time when I saw older kids in them. Then came DD's first trip to Disney in the heat of August at age 5. She just couldn't take all the walking and heat and so I gave in and rented a stroller, then last year when she was six we said "no stroller!" well guess what, after hearing her whine "my feet hurt!" 1000 times, we gave in and rented a stroller again (best purchase of the vacation!)

I also swore I would never let me kid sleep in my bed with me, but with me working night shift (only 3 12's but still...) I find that she gets really lonely without me and so DH has been allowing her to crawl in bed when I'm working, which of course has led to her crawling in bed with "us" when I am home

So I was wondering..... How many of you have broken your "I will never do ____ when I am a parent" rules and which ones?

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Watching everyone around me having kids, I knew enough not to say things like that. Good thing, too, because now I don't have to eat my words.

 

[merrily]

I vowed I would never give my kids a "spit shine". You know, when are on your way somewhere and notice they have something on their face and because you have nothing else you use your finger and some spit to wipe it off. It is gross! The first time I did it I knew I had turned into my mother!

 

[WonderfulDreamer2]

"Mirror mirror on the wall, I am my mother after all"

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I would be completely shocked if people did not reverse their opinion on LOTS of parenting ideas after actually becoming one!

I was not going to let my child sleep in my bed either. He was going to go to bed when I put him there and sleep all night, and be a good sleeper just like I was.

I was never going to say, "Because I'm the mom and I said so!"

I would never put my child on a 'leash', that is treating your child no better than an animal! (We just bought a backpack style harness for our little 2yo Houdini to keep him safe at Disneyland this month.)

And a biggie for me: I was going to be a working mom and do both jobs well. I wanted to show my children that women are smart, worthy of respect and pride, and can be successful mothers and business people! Nobody told me how hard it was going to be to leave my child with someone else when he clings to my leg and sobs his eyes out. Nobody told me that I would have trouble focusing on my career because I just wanted to spend the day playing with my child! Nobody told me that the exciting career was going to pale in comparison to my yearning to be with my child.

And before anybody gets their undies in a bunch, this is not a judgement of SAHM v. working-out-of-the-home moms. I've done both, and it's hard. Staying home all day with them is hard, too. All my friends are hard-working employees of their companies, and wonderful loving mothers who put their children into the hands of wonderful, loving caregivers. Some would love to be SAHMs, some think I'm nuts for doing it, but know how happy it has made me.

 

[snowwite]

I swore I wouldnever utter the phrase "Because I said so!" ,or use other frequent mommyisms from my childhood,when questioned by my children about a particular rule or tas.But somewhere along the road I bcame my mother!

 

[PixiePop]

I swore my child would never use a pacifier.

 

[MissMinnie]

I have become my mother also, after years of swearing I would never be like her when I had kids. She is a great mom, but did all those things that moms do to make their kids a little nuts. She laughs at me now and actually enjoys watching her life in replays through mine! She is also a great grandma to my kids, I can't really complain...............

 

[Goobergal99]

I swore I wouldnever utter the phrase "Because I said so!" ,or use other frequent mommyisms from my childhood,when questioned by my children about a particular rule or tas.But somewhere along the road I bcame my mother!

LOL.... That's another one I am guilty of.....

 

[pfishgirl]

when i grew up i was alone alot so i use to take meals in my room, lay on the bed and watch TV and eat.. once i got married and had a son i swore we were going to have dinner every night as a family at the kitchen table.. who knew...

hot pockets in the room while DS is on computer
pizza in the living room watching TV
breakfast? what's that?? don't remember when the last time was i had breakfast food in this house.. if no one eats it, why should i buy it..

 

[disneysnowflake]

In 3rd and 4th grade my gymnastics classes were moved to a building where I had to cross a busy street.

My mom made my twin sister and I hold her hand to cross the street. I was so embarrassed. I said to myself that I'd never make my kids hold my hand to cross the street.

Looking back I realize that street was busy. She was keeping us safe.

I would have held my 3rd grader's hand to cross that same street even today.

Oh, and I thought it was so mean that my mom wouldn't let me eat tons of pixie sticks and other sugar filled food. Today I won't let my kids do that either.

 

[justplaingoofy]

Nobody mentioned the wonderful haircuts

 

[mrsdisneyfan]

Count me in on the NEVER sleeping in our bed. DD5 and DS7 are in my bed everynight and my DH ends up on the couch. He works nights and I don't even know they come in. I just wake up in the morning and they are there. On the weekends they stand on his side of the bed and stare at him until he just gets up and goes to the couch.

 

[pfishgirl]

goofy-- i LOVE that pic in your siggy... it gives a whole new meaning to the word doggie paddle...

i was lucky we did what we wanted to our hair growing up... i thinks boys had it worse then girls when it came to styles..

sit child down.. place clean dry bowl on head.. cut all hair the escapes from under the bowl...

 

[lowie]

i'm the opposite... there are so many things i swore i'd let me children do that my mother wouldn't let me do. that now i know better!

 

[disneysnowflake]

Nobody mentioned the wonderful haircuts

That is one thing I NEVER did and will NEVER do to my kids.

My goodness, my dad was in charge of our haircuts. Terrible, just terrible.

 

[spazzyjazzy]

Be nosy and snoop.

 

[highland3]

I try to never use the good old... "becasue I said so, that's why".

I hated that as a kid. I even give my DW the run around when I hear her using it.

 

[DawnCt1]

So I was wondering..... How many of you have broken your "I will never do ____ when I am a parent" rules and which ones?

I said that I would never ground my children, take away their allowance or make them go to bed before they wanted to. I also said that I would get them a pony, a puppy and whatever they wanted for Christmas. Of course I was about 9 years old at the time so it made perfect sense to me!

 

[TinkNH]

I vowed I would never give my kids a "spit shine". You know, when are on your way somewhere and notice they have something on their face and because you have nothing else you use your finger and some spit to wipe it off. It is gross! The first time I did it I knew I had turned into my mother!

Me too!

And also guilty of letting her crawl into bed with us far too many times!