‘Please don’t paint your sister’ – parenting is tough
Here’s 1-5 in our justification of why parenting is tough. Look out for part 2 coming soon!
1. Kids are messy
Keeping a house clean with kids about can be like painting the Golden Gate Bridge; by the time it’s finished, it’s time to start all over again.
Arts educator Elena Caravela from New Jersey suggests that lowering standards of neatness and order is better than fighting your child’s creativity (or carnage). In other words, if you can’t beat them, join them…right?
Imagine coming home to this:
“Having a two year old is like having a blender without a lid” – Jerry Seinfeld
2. The second child – twice the love brings twice the trouble!
Having a second child is always a blessing. Any addition to the family can especially benefit your first child emotionally. Whilst this fact is true, you may come across many situations where you’ll forget about any ‘emotional benefits’ brothers and sisters give each other.
When my sister, aged 10, pushed me into our garden pond (which was full of goldfish may I add), using a toy golf club, I know my mum’s initial thoughts weren’t ‘look how good they are for each other’. Nor did she take this view when I accidently hospitalized my sister after an incident with a game of catch and a steel screw (it was an accident, I promise!)
“Having one child makes you a parent, having two makes you a referee” – David Frost
In the long run, siblings help each other grow in many different ways. Sibling rivalries, quarrels and full blown fights are a normal occurrence that will make you think parenting is tough.
Sibling cuteness overload –
RELATED: Parenting advice on sibling rivalry
3. You have to fight against the hypnotizing powers of a computer, phone or TV screen
Since when has watching the last 5 minutes of a cartoon been more important than eating hot, delicious, home cooked food which has been made with added love and care?
Well, hands up, I admit it. I once did this too. The idea of doing this now seems ridiculous and just plain rude. However, we must remember that as a child, concepts of politeness and respect are sometimes hard to understand. So don’t take it too personally that your child may appear more interested in tech than they are you.
Computer crazy – I wonder where they get it from?
“Children aren’t happy without something to ignore, and that’s what parents were created for.” – Ogden Nash
4. Kids can say the meanest things
Take the following situation: You’re shopping in the supermarket and your child wants to put a big box of chocolates in the trolley. After you refuse them, your child utters the 3 dreaded words: ‘I – hate – you’. Yes…parenting is tough.
Words like these can cut like a knife. Instead of freak out and have an emotional breakdown in the sweets aisle, try keeping your cool. Perhaps take a trip to the frozen meal section to chill out!
RELATED: Parenting advice: My kid is misbehaving on purpose!
Reacting emotionally, or worse, giving in to your child’s request, will show that their words have power. This will encourage them to use this sort of hurtful language again to get what they want.
Check out this hilarious clip. Notice how the mother stays cool, even finding humor in the situation!
5. Most kids have vegephobia.
Getting a child to eat their broccoli can be as difficult as…well…getting a child to eat their broccoli.
New research has actually shown that when children under 12 look at green vegetables for more than 1 minute, they actually become magically full. The research also showed that they still had room for dessert, despite being full.
OK. Not really. But you would have thought this might be true considering the argument kids put forward at the dinner table sometimes.
RELATED: Sneaky ways for your child to eat vegetables
Most times kids try new veg, their reactions are like this:
That concludes 1-5 in our ‘parenting is tough’ list. Look out for 6-10 coming soon!
