Eric and I had a “discussion” last night about our goals and expectations of what kind of parents we will be. This “discussion” stemmed from a post I had read on another blog, Baby Rabies.
He has frequently said, “We aren’t going to let our child do that…” or “We aren’t going to be like those parents…” and I, on the other hand, don’t want to jinx anything. I guess I am more cautious. I don’t want to say something like that only to end up with a colicky baby or a toddler who gives a whole new meaning to the term “terrible two’s.”
Because of my hesitancy to agree with these declarations Eric became worried that I was going to be a complete pushover when it came to raising our un-born child and subsequent children.
So, in honor of this wonderful “discussion” I have created a Top 10 list of our goals as parents. I would like to preface, and knock on every piece of wood in a 5 mile radius, by saying that while these are our goals, we, and yes both of us, understand that the wonderfulness that is parenting has much to reveal to us and that we will probably laugh hysterically, as I’m sure most of you will, when we read this in a few years. Heck, we will probably laugh at this list within the first few months of parenthood.
Hope all of you seasoned parents out there get a real big kick out of reading this!
Tracy and Eric’s Parenting Goals (Top 10):
(PS. Just for the record, this list is not meant to be judgemental in any way about different parenting styles! We are firm believers of “to each their own”!)
#1 To not let our children destroy our cars. (Prompted by Baby Rabies blog)
#2 To not give in to the demands/tantrums of our children in order to get a few moments of quiet. (ie, food and tv)
#3 To be able to eat in a restaurant with a child without above mentioned tantrums.
#4 No co-sleeping allowed after the first few weeks.
#5 To breast feed for 6 months.
#6 To give cloth diapering a try (part-time).
#7 To not refer to scheduled adult gatherings where children are present as “play dates.” (Eric’s pet peeve)
#8 To not allow our children (when they are older) to dress inappropriately. (My mom should get a kick out of this one!)
#9 To not allow our children to watch a movie over, and over, and over, and over, and over…….
#10 To only play DVDs for our children when we are on “trips”, not around town. (Ha ha ha, this one is a BIG we’ll see for me since I will be the one lugging this kid all around town)
-Tracy (16 weeks today!)