If Only Life Were a Carnival

5.24.2007

If I were The Carnival of Life I'd fall somewhere between
a tiny little hometown fair and Disney World.
I'd be colorful with a huge WELCOME banner with fat, curvy, lime green letters.
I'd have lots of tents for special events like talent shows where little girls wear hand-me-down tap shoes and keep time by chewing gum.
Boys could show off their dogs and the tricks they taught them.
There would be music playing and balloons floating this way and that.
Around every corner would be a beverage tent with your
choice of cubed or crushed ice.
And, oh....the food!

****

You can see that I'm a little bit fun, and a little bit sentimental. A little traditional rolled around some gosh darn fun.

I love to get down and roll around with Adam. Flip him upside down and chase him around the living room. We read, swing, play with the garden hose, and drive to the playground in his "ca-wa".

But Adam's buddy Mr. Getting My Way doesn't think I'm fun at all. Adam and G.M.W. want what they want, when they want it. They want what they want even if they can't have it. If it's dangerous or breakable or will get my clean kitchen floor messy... they want it.

Mr. G.M.W. likes to pull Adam to the floor and put his head down while he cries really loud. And then they conspire with each other and whine "mommy, mommy, mommy" over and over and over again. And when I ignore that, Mr. G.M.W. pulls Adam up and attaches him to my leg to pull and whine some more.

Honestly, after a long day of working and daycare sometimes it's easier to give in. It's easier to convince myself that he's been gone from me all day and a handful of jelly beans is really a treat he deserves. It's easy to rationalize the need to comfort him, a lot.

As Adam becomes more aware, so, too, do I. I'm aware that these are the days and weeks that will form the foundation for his expectations of who his parents are and how his parents act. Consistency is key and it is what he needs. More than jelly beans or climbing on the dishwasher door, he needs me to be consistent and absolute about certain things.

When he gets older, I don't want to be the parent explaining in a lengthy disertation why his dad and I have certain rules.

Mr. Getting My Way....

meet Mrs. Because I Said So

and her Sister, That's Just the Way It Is.

7 comments:

FrenchGardenHouse :

Jill, what a wonderful way you have with words!!

I love your writing, and yes, you are right, Mrs.Because I Said So & her sister That's Just the Way It Is.

At times I have used "because God wants me to be a good parent, not your friend, that's why!" but that is probably too early for your cute children. (save that for teenage years!)

I love your blog, it is so happy and F*U*N!!

Stephanie :

I love that! We have Mrs. Because I'm the Mama, That's Why and Mr. It's Not Always Going to Be Fair.

Sometimes those are both one-upped by Mrs. I'm Too Tired and Mr. Just This Once.

Very cute post!

Susan :

Very original cute post. Glad I found your site. You cover a lot of neat stuff and always make it very interesting.

Tracey Kirksey :

Jill, that is so cute. You know, I used to hate when my mom or dad would say "because I said so!" and swore I would never do that to my kids! I've caught myself many times saying and doing the same things my parents did.

You are so right about the consistency part. It's more important that we parent our children instead of being their "buddies" 24-7. Kids need rules and guidelines and I've found with my own that he respects me so much more than some of his friends who's mamas don't have any rules!

Keep doing a wonderful job! It's the toughest job in the world, but the absolute most rewarding!

justabeachkat :

Very cute post! Hang in there. I wish I could say it will get easier. It'll actually get harder. There comes a time when they will argue their point like the opposing attorney. And sometimes mine would make their point sooooo convincingly that I would have to say "you're right" and give in.

Tammy :

Jill, this is wonderful...you are truly talented and creative in your writing!

And your subject is something I can sure relate to...been there, done that and am still doing it! :)
But one of our favorite listening tapes around here is called The Pond. It's a Christian radio show for kids that makes the parents laugh, too.
One of the stories is about a character getting into a whining habit. At the end, he sings "You can't always have it your way" sung in Blues style...so you can bet when the situation arises at home, I sometimes break out in song! :)

Anyway, loved this a lot! :)

Karen :

Jill, you have a wonderful blog! So pretty, and I love this post. Thanks for stopping by my place and for the b-day wishes.

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