Never Say Never
When you were a new or expecting parent, did you ever say, “I will never do blah, blah, blah” …and now look back on that comment and laugh? Are you like, “Yea, that was brilliant. What was I thinking?” Or did you actually have some smart parenting idea that got away from you – thanks to life being busy, parenting being stressful…and well..you just have other things on your plate right now?
I’m sure just about every parent can think of at least one or two brilliant things they said they’d never do or swore they’d always do. And if you personally can’t think of any, I’m sure you’ve overheard friends or relatives say some pretty lofty things!
Let’s share these crazy ideas and comments with each other. I’ll start with a couple of my own as well as comments I’ve overheard others say. I also reached out to some loyal TMoM readers to share their “nevers” with us as well. At the end of today’s post, share yours!
*The one thing I said I’d never do was drive a mini-van. That lasted just two weeks before my second child was born. I mean – there’s no other conceivable way to manage our large family of four, right?
*I also said, no matter what, I will always play with my kids. Nothing will come in the way. I will never be too busy to stop what I’m doing and play with them. Can’t say I’ve held up to this, and it makes me sad. I wish there wasn’t anything else on my plate but playtime. I even blogged about this struggle here.
*I have a friend who swore she’d never allow toys on the main floor of their house. All toys had to be kept in the second floor bedrooms, or on the third floor attic/playroom. This same friend said she’d never feed her babies vegetables or fruit from a jar – everything had to be fresh and pureed. Not sure how long the first promise held up, but her husband is a chef and I’m pretty sure they stuck to their second promise.
* I know someone who said she’d never buy plastic toys for her children. Everything had to be wooden. I just can’t imagine that rule endured long.
Here’s what other TMoM readers had to say:
*I never thought I’d let my daughters become obsessed with the whole princess thing. We now have two 4-year-olds who can’t have a conversation without the words “Aerial” and “Belle” in them. ~ Monica C.
*My child was never going to watch TV before the age of 2. He is 1 ½ now and very familiar with Mickey Mouse and the other Disney junior characters. ~ Elizabeth S.
*My kids will never eat in the car, its too messy. Yeah right, that did not last long. After three kids anything to have a peaceful car ride is the rule now! My kids will not watch a lot of TV, and often they don’t, but there are days when they watch a movie or (gasp) two, and lots of times when I turn on the TV in the late afternoon so they will stop wrestling and I can make dinner. I also tried to say that my kids will eat what I eat. I do try to have them try everything my husband and I are eating for dinner, sometimes with bribery, but I must admit I often make a side I know they love, or leave off an offensive ingredient in their meals just so I don’t have to hear the complaining. One I have mostly stuck to is, “My kids will not sleep in bed with Mommy and Daddy.” We put them back in bed when they wake up, and except for my just- turned-three-year-old they are great sleepers, and do well at putting themselves back to sleep in the middle of the night. And he is improving. ~ Carrie S.
*My husband and I said that we’d never have movies in the car…that we’d just talk and play games…until our first long car trip. My son, Gabe, cried for about three hours straight. We actually stopped in a random town at Walmart and bought a portable video player! ~ Brandi T.
*Before our first child was born, I suggested we put a wipes warmer on our baby registry. My husband thought that was totally ridiculous. When we brought our son home in November, he screamed like crazy during one of those first diaper changes when the cold wipe hit his bare bottom. My husband drove to Babies R Us first thing the next morning and came home with a wipes warmer! Also, we didn’t think we wanted to use pacifiers. We have used them with all 3 boys. Another one: We started out using cloth diapers. That lasted about 5 months with our first child. Also: We didn’t want to put a DVD player in our van since we didn’t want the kids watching shows all the time. I cannot imagine long trips without it! One rule we have kept (or try to . . .) is that bathroom words get used in the bathroom. With 3 boys, that is one I’d like to keep! ~ Suzanne D.
*I swore I’d never let them be binky babies. Baby #1 wasn’t a binky baby but she took a bottle to bed with her every time she laid down (so did Baby #3). Baby #2 was a binky baby and she didn’t give that thing up until her 4th birthday. If it helped quiet them down, then all of a sudden it was okay in my book. Also,I swore I’d never let anyone but me entertain them. It was going to be me, me, me they played with and who entertained them. And then I realized that things had to get done at some point around the house and with work, and out the window that went! ~ Kristen D.
*I said I would never say, “Because I said so.” And now I use that line all the time. ~ Heather B.
What about you? What did you say you’d never do – or would always do?
