Good morning!
Finally, after 6+ days, MamaBear is back in her lair, fresh from a roadtrip down to scenic North Carolina where she defied convention, common sense, and utterly beyond any shadow of a doubt….*rocked*.
Literally, I might add.
But that's a story for another post!
Today, I'd like to ask you a plain and simple question.
Is your parenting weaker than a newborn baby's attempt at weight-lifting a Mack Truck?
If so, shame on you.
You're laying the groundwork for a miserable future life for yourself!
I mean, think about it.
- If your 5 year old refuses to listen to you today, what will happen when she is a 15 year old who has less respect for you than a starving lion does for a juicy wildebeest?
- If your 7 and 9 year old fight constantly in the car, what will happen years from now when they learn how to be subtle in their abuse to one another?
- If your middle-school student refuses to clean her room, what will happen when she's in high school and refuses to participate in expected household chores?
Weak parenting is not only horrible for yourself (witness the countless cases of elder abuse) , but also for your children as well.
You're basically sending them out into the world with miserable adult skills…and reality will sooner or later kick them in the teeth bigtime.
When you yield to weak or namby-pamby parenting, you're *refusing* to gift your children with boundaries. This causes them to push and push and push, just to see what you will *not* allow.
Great set of skills for later in life, eh?
And when they start acting up in school, what will you do? Bail them out? Make excuses for their miserable actions and behaviors and the fact they've turned into minature little scum puppies?
I think not.
You *know* in your heart if you're an effective parent or not.
And if you're not, here's the foolproof cure for weak, ineffective parenting.
Realize your weak ineffective parenting actions today…will have horrible consequences for the rest of *your* life.
Ideally as a parent, it should be enough to realize you're scarring your kids by your lousy parenting skills.
But if not, consider…number 1.
You.
You will be reaping the soul-searing repercussions from your ineffectual parenting for the rest of your freakin' life.
Don't you deserve a better old age than having to deal with worthless adults who were shaped by your wishy-washy upbringing?
I sure think so!
So…when you find yourself being challenged by your kid, or having to instill boundaries that they hate…remember the following.
Raise them right *now*, and you're on the path for a healthy family dynamic for the rest of your life.
And that is something truly admirable to strive for.
Parent powerfully,
— MamaBear