10 Parenting Mistakes (I’m willing to tell you about)

May 3, 2013, 7:27 pm
Filed under: Parenting | Tags: family, humor, kids, mom, parenting, parents, suburbia, teaching, teenagers, teens

In light of all the awful parenting going on in the news, I thought that maybe a reality check for those of us who live in the cream cheese world of suburbia was in order.

I’m sure my kids could come up with a hundred right off the bat, and even more when they finally end up in therapy, but here’s ten mistakes I’ve made (these are all absolutely true, and the only ones I could think of that won’t have Social Services at my doorstep), that you can laugh at with your coffee or your happy hour mint julep. After all, when it comes to parenting, every day is a chance to screw them up even more!

Never sit at the kitchen table, having a heart-to-heart with your child about alcoholism, with a giant glass of wine in front of you;
Don’t try to explain the Cuban Missile Crisis by having your kid watch the X-Men First Class movie (since when did History teachers get so picky?);
Never show how secretly pleased you are (however discreetly) as your child deliberately kicks another soccer player on the leg or pushes them down–you instantly become THAT parent;
Leaving your toddlers unattended with a jar of blue paint and a dog is a bad idea;
Another bad idea: reading “The 3 Little Pigs” right before Christmas. We had to leave a note on the front door and call Santa every year to ask him not to come down the chimney so he wouldn’t get burned;
Never tell your second child she’s just trying to get some attention when she says her tummy hurts, too–OR, go ahead and tell her, and know you’re going to be on your knees with a bottle of Resolve in twenty minutes;
(This one is Hubby’s, but it was too good not to pass on) When your child says you shouldn’t be driving because you had a beer, think before you say, “It’ll be ok, we’re not far from the house;”
Think before you speak: when noticing a zit on your teenager’s forehead, don’t ask “Hey, who’s your friend?” Your best friend may be able to handle a snarky comment like that, but not your teenager.
Never teach your children the art of “crop dusting” (being silently flatulent as you walk past them). It will come back to bite you;
Never tell your kids the real reason you won’t go see Foreigner in concert is because you had your first French kiss (ewwww, gross!) to one of their songs–they can do the math.

Feel free to post yours, if your kids will let you….

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Thanks for the smiles, Libby – bet Kristin could add peanut butter to #4 🙂

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Comment by Katherine Payne May 3, 2013 @ 7:43 pm

Blue paint and a dog – made me chuckle!

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Comment by mumof4 May 3, 2013 @ 7:55 pm

Cocoa is still alive, and a saint!

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Comment by libbyhall May 8, 2013 @ 10:56 am

My father was once giving me a speech about overdrafting a card. I kept telling him that I had no idea what he was talking about, but I was treated to “so disappointed… financial responsibility…” Well, right in the middle my Mom walked in super mad and was like “Honey, why did you put the plane tickets on Kate’s credit card? You overdrafted it. I’m the joint on the card and now my credit…. so disappointed… can’t you read…”

We do not speak of it.

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Comment by Katie Renee May 4, 2013 @ 3:24 pm

I love it! We have a few incidences that no one speaks of, either…

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Comment by libbyhall May 8, 2013 @ 10:56 am