I am the mother of a two year old boy who thinks he's already ten. Toddlerhood is a struggle, to say the least. Everyone tells you how hard it is to be a new mom, but in my opinion, that was easy! This is the hard part. You know, the part where you really have to start the whole discipline thing, otherwise your child ends up like half of your students! I'm so hard on myself because of my position in society. I teach sixth grade and used to teach third grade, so I've had a little bit of a range on what bad parenting can do to a child. It just seems like kids think everything has to be handed to them, and that they should get something in return for whatever they do. There's no such thing as just doing it for your own good anymore. I fear my own child turning out the same way, and will do anything in my power to make sure it does not happen. I always told my husband that God must have put us together knowing we would be some of the few select people who could raise good kids (that's still the excuse I use when I talk about us having more...we do need to distribute a few more good kids in the world
) I just don't know if I'm doing it right, though. I don't want to discipline too harshly...my son is a curious toddler trying to explore his world, but at the same time, if I don't set boundaries, he will push farther and farther. This thought came to me as I was trying to find the middle ground. Many of the parents of our students go wrong in this way: they want to put their children first, and do so by giving them what they want. What they don't realize is that sometimes when you put them first, it means limiting them to protect them or teach them right (like leaving a friend's house--before we even had dinner--because my son refused to stop pitching a fit about playing in the mud outside). Many parents try to make themselves happy and shut their kids up so they give in. If you truly want to put a child first, set some limits. Those boundaries go a long way. So, I'm hoping I can take what I have learned and use it in my own life, so at least I know my child will be one of the few and far between in his class (when he starts school--that's coming up so fast...) who will have respect and show self discipline. May the strength be with me....may the cuteness of my little man's smile not sidetrack me.....and may I always think of what I have to do to prevent the worst case scenario....