Tough Love

Being a parent to a toddler is so much different than I thought it would be. For sure this is the hardest time I've had parenting. I feel an immense amount of pressure to be a good parent, and to be sure that I give Brynlee all the tools she will need to go out into the world.

Brynlee likes to push things. Buttons, limits, patience...you name it. I'm constantly at war with myself. The desire to just let her get away with things because its easier vs the desire to actually get up and discipline her over and over again. The desire to be a good Mom vs being a friend Mom. I'm stuck in the middle, because I really want to be both.

But if I have to chose, I would chose the good Mom. Brynlee will make friends in her life. But she only has one Mom. And it's up to me to teach her right from wrong and how to behave in society. Sometimes I encounter other adults and I think, "Wow your Mom sucked. Or she tried and it didn't work." I don't want to have one of those kids.

So I give tough love. Jimmy and I both do. Brynlee knows what she can and can't get away with. If she crosses the line, she is disciplined. Some days my resolve is weak and I think "Is it that bad that she just did exactly what I told her not to do?". It probably isn't that bad. But I'm training her and training me for what's to come in the future. If we don't start a pattern of her listening to me now, when will we start it? The teenage years? Yeah...good one.

Each day is a clash of will. Sometimes she won't back down, and neither will I. So we go head to head and I'm happy to say I usually win. :)

I just hope she appreciates this when she is older!

On a side note, she is on a new thing about turns. She will tell me, "it's my turn. It's not your turn, it's my turn". Oh ok. Thanks for that info Brynlee. Even if she just had a turn, it's her turn again in her mind. Must be nice to live in toddler land where it's always your turn!