To that mom in our old neighborhood 5 years ago that I silently judged when she talked about yelling at her kids, I apologize.
To every parent to whom I said "Well, have you tried setting very clear and well-defined limits, so they can easily remember the rules?" I am deeply sorry.
To anyone to whom I ever offered a suggestion about "making sure you only take your child out for errands when they are well rested/fed/amused," I beg your kind forgiveness.
To every parent I ever advised about the importance of having meaningful communication with your kids so they don't feel the need to have tantrums, I offer a heartfelt apology.
And to every parent to whom I ever used the phrase, "You know, if you would just feed them a variety of healthy foods right from the start, they wouldn't have a chance to become picky eaters," I invite you to kick me square in the pants.
PS--Don't worry, I never really said these things out loud. I was just, as UCMama says, "silently judging from afar."
4 comments:
I think we all have to learn hard lessons this way. So painful. On the other hand, how much worse it would be to never learn the lessons and remain in silent holier-than-thou judgment for the rest of one's life... (speaking of me, not of you of course!)
While I thoroughly enjoyed this whole post, very much---my favorite line was "I invite you to quick me square in the pants"
That's just funny man.
Raising children has a way of humbling parents and giving them compassion for other parents, especially their own!
I really enjoy your writing. Thanks for your honesty. Perenting sure does make me eat humble pie on a daily basis.
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