Never say never....

The hardest job in the world is being a parent. There are so many things I said I would NEVER, EVER do as a parent. And I worked in a daycare for several years and the stories I could tell you..... Now I feel as though I have turned into the parents I once talked about.....

Just a few things I have learned:

#1. Never talk about someone else's child. For example: Never talk about that child in the middle of Wal-Mart throwing their self on the floor screaming bloody murder because they really wanted that overpriced and undeserved toy and you are the meanest Mama in the whole wide world and you're a meany, meany, MEANY!!!! Yeah, you know what child I'm talking about. We've all seen one or 2 in stores across America. Don't talk about them. In 5 years, that might be YOUR child.

#2. Don't ever say you will not use a pacifier to quiet your child. About 30 seconds away from losing your sanity and after 5 or 6 sleepless nights and taking it out on your spouse, you will learn that the pacifier is the most magical of all creations.

#3. Never say your children will be well behaved and always use their manners in public places at all times. I constantly drill manners and accepted behavior into my children 24 hours a day. My oldest is 5 years old and still thinks it's hilarious to burp in a restaurant and to announce other bodily functions for the whole world to hear while eating supper in the church's fellowship hall on Wednesday nights.

#4. I've learned to pick my battles. Sometimes it's easier to just walk away from a situation than to declare war over something simple like picking up blocks. However, it is necessary to declare war when your child wants to sit at the dinner table in nothing but his underwear or when your child tells you he's heard enough from you and you've "wasted his time". (Oh yes. That was a new one my child pulled on me last night.)

#5. Never say too much television is bad for your child. Now I agree, it's good to be active and play outside, but for those of you who have lived in our corner of America for the past 6 months, you know how wet and/or cold it's been. So, when you are tired of cleaning up play-doh crumbs, and you're really tired of reading the same 5 books over and over, sometimes television is a very beautiful thing.

#6. If you have more than one child, never expect them to behave the same. Period. Therefore, things you've become accustomed to with your first child, totally makes the second child a whole new challenge. Brennan is a softy with a tender heart, and even though Ethan refuses to talk, he loves to beat up his big brother. Brennan talks relentlessly and loudly, sometimes it gets to the point of being obnoxious (again, never say you would NEVER consider your child's behavior obnoxious) and Ethan just grins at everyone and finds something in another room to get into, daring you to come find him.

#7. Never say that you won't ever spoil your children. Both of my kids are spoiled rotten, and I almost think Ethan is worse than Brennan. However, I think a lot of that is due to personality and the fact that I stay home almost all week with Ethan and MiMi keeps him 2 days during the week. He has a lot of one on one time. With Brennan, I worked full time and even though MiMi kept him, she also kept other children. Therefore he's always been good at entertaining himself. Ethan DEMANDS full time attention and does not like being left with people he's not around a lot.

I mean, let me be honest here. This is a very short list. I could continue with my list, but I've got other things to do. (Like give my 18 month old the attention he is currently demanding.) This is just a warning to any parent-to-be out there. I wouldn't trade my children for anything in this world, but sometimes I wonder how parents with 3, 4, or more children survive. Personalities are always so different and each child is at different stages and so on and so on. Parenting is one tough job for sure. But, I feel blessed to be a Mommy and maybe one day my van will be full of kids. (Oh, wait, I just had a brief lapse of sanity.....)