Nov 21, 2013

Only the best...

I only want the best for my child.  I want for him to be well liked, find success in whatever career he chooses and find a life partner who challenges him and loves him unconditionally.  And to help him achive these things I am willing to help him in any way I can.  I will argue for his grades, fight his battles with his friends and definitely make sure he never has to be in any uncomfortable confrontational setting.

NOT!

This was how my day went today.  Four calls from parents all fighting their children's battles.  I get it.  You want the best for your kiddos.  But guess what?  At some point they may have to engage in that awkward conversation with a roommate or a spouse about how the bathroom is unsanitary.  Seriously, one parent wanted to know if I could assist them in facilitating a conversation about the conditions of the bathroom their child shares with another student.  My answer of course was, no.  This is a situation your child needs to follow up on.

I just don't get it and I really don't want to.  Sure, you love your kid and you want them happy.  I want that for Brody too but I feel that I may be more tough on him at 16 months than some of these parents are to their 18 year olds.  For example, B has learned how to climb on the couch and up on chairs but not really down from them; yes, he fell once, maybe twice.  And I watched him.  It was a low ottoman and I knew he wouldn't hurt himself but I wanted to use it as a teaching moment.  I then put him back him and showed him how to climb down feet first.  This probably sounds cruel, but seriously, I am not always going to be able to protect him so all I can do it give him the tools to keep himself safe.  Does this make me sound cold?

I am not sure what philosophy of parenting the experts would say I follow but I sure hope I am not that parent hounding the Higher Education administrator on fighting their kiddos battles.  Maybe people have always assisted them?  Well, sorry Mrs. Smith, you called the wrong lady.  I'll help your daughter learn how to advocate for herself but I will not do it for her.

On a positive note, I did receive a call today from a senior in high school who had a long list of questions to ask about attending college.  What forms she needs to submit, what she should start doing now to prepare, etc.  This is a perfect example of what I hope Brody is able to do.  She didn't email, she picked up the phone and called to ask me questions.  Made my day to say the least.

In short, I am trying to not raise a Veruca:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRTkCHE1sS4




 photo courtney-post-signature1_zpsa6911a6b.png

No comments:

Post a Comment