I went on a walk with a friend this morning. We've been walking for a while together, but we normally walk sans kids. Since the weather has been nice and since Kris has to leave early now, we walked with our double strollers today for the first time. My friend's little girl didn't really want to ride, she wanted to run and walk with us. That went about like you would imagine. I could tell my friend was frustrated because she kept apologizing. All I could think was, "Sister, if you only knew how many walks we have taken with one or both of the boys screaming..."
This led me to think about all the times my outings or playdates have been miserable because of how worried I was about the bad behavior of my children and the onlookers' thoughts about my suitability as a parent. Why, oh why, do I do that to myself? When someone else's child acts like a pill, I can mostly overlook it and think, "Man, I'm glad it's not my turn today." I can give grace because I remember yesterday and know that tomorrow is coming. I have come to the conclusion that people (myself included) who judge moms and their children either A)Don't have children of their own or B)Are not in touch with reality.
My word to myself today is this: Kids behave badly sometimes, so cut yourself some slack!!
1 comment:
Thank you. Great advice. I need that everyday.
Post a Comment