Sometimes It Is Hard Not To Laugh

When I was pregnant I loaded our home up with every baby book that I could get my hands on. I read and studied them. I had my game plan in place. I knew exactly how I was planning to raise our child.

When I was in the hospital after the birth of our daughter, I felt prepared. Other than a few nursing issues, I had it all figured out.
Then they sent me home.
She didn’t sleep. She cried all the time. None of the tricks in my books worked. Where is her instruction manual? I called friends. I turned to Google. “How do you parent?” Wikipedia actually had an answer for this. It did not help.

Throughout the past 2 1/2 years, I learned a lot. I have made a ton of mistakes. I have days where I feel like super mom & then the ones that I think, “Wow! I really suck at this.”

There are so many rules in parenting…

Don’t say “No” to your child
Don’t let your child watch television
Watch your language in front of your kid
Don’t give into tantrums
Don’t lose your temper                                                                                                                        Don’t laugh when your child does or says something they shouldn’t

Oh no! I really do suck at this. I know that I have broken every one of these. I am certain that I probably have even broken all of them simultaneously once or twice in my parenting career. I try really hard not to give in to impulse, but sometimes it is hard. The No’s just slip out & so does the occasional swear. I have parked my daughter in front of the television from time to time. I have lost my cool & I have definitely let out a laugh or too unintentionally.

We have raised ourselves a 2 1/2 year old smart ass. It is our own fault. It was bound to happen. She is our daughter after all. At times it is nearly impossible not to chuckle at some of the things that come out of her mouth.

Tonight, we were going through our usual mealtime battle. She climbed down from her chair & wanted to go outside & play with the new Power Wheels that her Uncle bought her. I told her that she would not be able to go outside to play unless she ate her dinner. She turned around and opened her mouth, revealing a mouthful of food and said, “Mama, I eating my rice.” Trying not to laugh, I turned away, put her back in her chair & said aloud to myself “Mai, where did I find you?” Her response, “In Florida, Mama.” How am I supposed to keep a straight face?

When I tell her not to grab for the hot coffee on the table because coffee is for mommies & daddies and she argues, “Daddies don’t drink coffee, daddies drink beer.”, how can I keep from cracking up?

I am not going to lie, I have even had to hold in a laugh or two during some of her meltdowns. The irrational thoughts that come out of her mouth when she is having a tantrum are sometimes pretty comical. Don’t judge me. I am not perfect. I am just a mama trying to follow the rules that stumbles from time to time.