Say Never...I Dare You!

You folks know the saying, "never say never". Seriously, don't say it. Because before you know it, you will be eating your words.

Or maybe it's just me.

Back before I had kids, I had these ideas. You know, I thought I knew stuff back then. Then I had kids and discovered I was actually a moron. Here are some of the highlights of my claims.

Ideal: "My kids are not going to watch a lot of tv. And no tv before two years old, because that's what the American Academy of pediatrics recommends."
Reality- My daughter knows how to access Netflix on her iPad. she knows every word to every episode of Wonderpets ever made. And my 13 month old baby boy thinks that tv is the best thing ever, and watches it with his mouth hanging open in awe and wonder. I would probably never shower or get any schoolwork done without the magic of tv.

Ideal- "I will never let my daughter become a part of the Disney Princess Cult. I'm a member of the Campain for a Commercial Free Childhood, for goodness sakes! Buying a Made in China, plastic, inporportioned princess doll is just not something I would ever do."
Reality- At this moment, she is playing happily with her mini Belle doll. We also have 3 different Ariel dolls, a bigger Belle doll, princess white boards, a Tinkerbell doll, a weighted blanket with Ariel print on one side and Tinkerbell on the other, a backpack, a lunchbox, and I'm sure many other things that I am forgetting. Oh, and her potty seat. Can't forget that. So yeah, I'm a big sell out. But I am still just thrilled with the fact that it is something that she enjoys that is age appropriate, encourages her imaginary play, and is just so NORMAL. But I draw the line at wall decorations and bedding (I have to draw it somewhere, it makes me feel better).

Ideal- "My kids will not eat a bunch of processed junk. Organic food if we can, plenty of veggies, and homemade all the way!"
Reality- She has collected every toy in the happy meal line up in the last few months. Nuff said. I'm still hurting over the loss of this ideal, I can't talk about it....

Ideal- "I'm going to spend sunny days frolicking outside with my kids! We'll go on walks and have picnics and play ring around the rosie in the grass!"
Reality- Just getting out the door with all of our stuff is exhausting. Within a few minutes outside I'm hot, annoyed, and worried about Diva Girl running away from me. I'm allergic to grass anyways.

Ideal- "I would never force my child to do ______ (fill in the blank here, there are too many things to list). If they're ready, they'll do it on their own. I would never Train a child, they're not dogs!"
Reality- I just potty trained Diva Girl. And it was intense and strict and probably goes against some tenent of Attatchment Parenting. I got some raised eyebrows over the method we used. But I am beyond happy that we did it. My little girl is using the potty!! No diapers at all!! And this method was perfect for her, in all her stubborn glory. No regrets.

So yeah, I should probably never say never. Eating my words doesn't always taste good. But ya know, how was I supposed to know? Maybe I would have been that parent if I had given birth to some angel fairy children. But my kids are a mess and I am a mess and I wouldn't have it any other way.