Well - I have to tell you - I have changed over the many years of parenting!
I'm sure some for the better and some for the worse....but I HAVE changed!
I'm no longer the first time mother who carries the diaper bag containing half of a baby super store! (6 outfits...200 diapers...lotion, wash, tylenol, thermometer, baby hair brush - even though baby is bald as a cue ball) etc. etc. etc....
I no longer (although maybe I never did...) feel that each new baby requires a new stroller....walker...bouncer...play pen...
I also no longer think that "bigger is better" when it comes to baby gear (eegads try fitting all that gear into a trunk!- each outing becomes a major move!)
But I have also gone the other way in my parenting....
After reading several articles (including one over at Strollerderby this morning) about how DANGEROUS it is for toddlers to be facing forwards in their car seats....(#1 reason for toddler fatalities is car accidents!!) my baby and grand babies will be facing backwards till they're 13 or so! (lol okay maybe only 4)
When I go to the store and see a sale on toddler meds (tylenol, teething gel...both "regular" or homeopathic) I STOCK UP!! seriously! No matter what - you WILL need these items sooner or later and it's bad (I MEAN BAD!) to find yourself at 3 am with a feverish baby and NO meds!
I have also learned to pre-stock on small sale items like birthday gifts (oy! I can't tell you how many times we had to put a $5 bill in an envelope because one of the kids "surprised" us with yet another birthday party to go to LAST MINUTE!)
I'm still the mama who asks everyone to use hand-sanitizer before holding my babies for the first few months (sorry - can't let that "germ" thing go :0)lol
But I'm also the mama who doesn't mind if the 7 year old holds the sleeping baby while I quickly do up a load of dishes (my boys are going to be QUITE the catch for some lucky ladies down the road a bit! - they are all SO WONDERFUL with babies - and they all have tons of experience!)
So...that's just a few changes I thought about this morning...
No - I don't worry about each and every little "phase" they go through anymore....I am well aware that "this too shall pass"....but I do monitor the sugar and "junk food" a LOT harder than I did years ago....
I HOPE with age comes wisdom.....I'd hate to think after ALL the lessons I've learned (most of them THE HARD WAY!)I hadn't truly LEARNED anything at all :)
How about you- how have you changed?
Are you more strict or more lenient on things?
I can't wait to hear!
With all my heart!~
Michelle
About Me
- Michelle G
- I am a momma of 6 :) I have one grand-daughter who is 2 and a half and one who is 9 months!!...my youngest son is 6 months younger than the older one and 1 year older than the baby :) We homeschool and we are always on the go! I like to joke and say we are "addicted to chaos"! Long story short - we are parents of kiddos every age imaginable (almost) and like everyone else...We're learning as we go along! Thank the Lord...He's forgiving and LOVING - 'cause we're truly undeserving of all the wonderful gifts He's given to us!
I have change is my small number of years in parenting, and surely will for many more years to comes, change is good :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, this is ME TOO!! I am a totally different mom/person to my 20 month old than I was when my now-10 and 12 year old were babies!! I am WAY more relaxed, laid back, and enjoying the small things instead of stressing out over them! :) I'm also too old to care about what others think ... that's sure freeing!! :)
ReplyDeleteIt's funny how different you become with each child. I'm already more relaxed with baby #2. And, as far as stuff goes, other than clothes (because she was a girl) Sophia didn't get any new baby stuff.
ReplyDeleteGreat question.
ReplyDeleteAfter parenting for 27 years ... with 6 kids still at home ... I really don't think I parent all that differently than I did 27 years ago.
I was a very relaxed mama with my first one. Then, with my first 5 babies in 4 years I pretty much parented them as a group, without many changes because each new baby came so quickly.
My Big Kids would say that I let the young ones get away with more. But, they seem to forget all of the grace I gave them, too. Our household rules and expectations have really not changed too much.
mama of 12
(ages 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 18, 21, 22, 22, 24, 26, 27)