Ok- Here’s what I’m sick of. I’m sick of these moms screaming down from their glass pedestals condemning other moms about how much they are on their phones, how much television they let their children watch, or how many video games they let their children play. I’m tired of these self-proclaimed perfect mothers who claim their kids never eat sugar, have never been to a fast food restaurant, and their children only watch ten minutes of television per day.
Now, I have no problem with the moms who actually DO follow through with what they say they are doing. I have friends who are very good about always making sure their children are eating healthy, they truly do not visit fast food restaurants, and they cook just about every single thing their family eats every day. They don’t condemn my lifestyle or parenting choices, even if they don’t always agree with them. They even let their children come to my house and eat an occasional piece of chocolate or two! It’s the people who claim their kids NEVER eat junk, NEVER have sugar, and NEVER eat fast food, and then I see their cars pulling into a McDonald’s drive through after they’ve posted on Facebook how disgusted they are with “some moms who allow their children too much junk!”, who annoy me to no end. Here’s what I have to say to those mothers… I don’t believe you. You may have never taken your kid to a fast food restaurant- I’ll give you that. But Lady, if your kid has any friends and/or has been out of your site for at least an hour at a time, he’s eaten some crap, and he probably loved it. Don’t tell me that you’ve never plopped your child down in front of the television so you could take a shower, or pee and read a magazine, or make dinner, or just so you could have several minutes of him not repeating your name three hundred times before you answer. I read an article the other day written by a mom who doesn’t allow her children to play video games. That’s fine. I get it. I get very frustrated, as well, when I ask my ten-year-old son a question and he doesn’t answer because he needs to breed some cows for his Minecraft farm. It’s annoying. However, we’re not living in 1950, people. This is the age of technology and there are going to be times when I’m going to allow my boys to play video games. In fact, I’m so completely nuts that I paid an outrageous amount of money to send my eleven-year-old to technology camp at the University of Michigan where he sat and played video games for nearly eight hours every day for an entire week. My kids wear t-shirts and shorts or athletic pants to school. I’m OK with this. Yes, there are times when my eleven-year-old comes downstairs wearing two different shades of neon orange and a pair of red tennis shoes, and I cringe as my eyes are partially burned and blinded by the horror. I occasionally tell him his clothes do not match, and I get back “Eh, I don’t care.” I let it go. As long as he’s clean, he makes good grades, he follows the rules, and is respectful, what do I care if his clothes match or not? I have a feeling that as soon as some cute girl at school tells him his clothes don’t match, he’s going to change his tune very quickly. I buy organic food and I make my family eat it. I force my vegetable hating ten-year-old to eat at least one or two vegetables for dinner every night, even if it’s just a bite or two. My boys are only allowed to drink carbonated beverages on special occasions or if we eat in a restaurant every so often. But if my kid wants some Lucky Charms for breakfast a couple days per month, I let him have it. Is this lazy parenting? You bet it is and I don’t care. As far as I know, a couple bowls of Lucky Charms a few days per month hasn’t killed anyone. Yet. Now if I hear that eating Lucky Charms actually DOES kill someone, I may change my tune. He can get up on his own, pour himself a bowl of cereal with milk, and eat it, while I get myself ready for the day, drink my coffee, or watch the Today Show. There are other mornings that I make him eggs, ham and toast. Maybe one of the other mornings I will make him waffles or pancakes with bacon (all organic, of course). I am probably on my phone way too much, I’ll give you that. There’s nothing in this world I love more than spending time with my boys. I love talking with them, playing with them, watching movies with them, or simply just snuggling with them on the couch. But sometimes I need a little “me” time. My phone is a tool I use to shut off my brain for a little while and just focus on something completely stupid or mundane. I don’t have to think about what to make for dinner (organic, of course), how much laundry is piled up in my closet, or that it’s probably been a couple weeks since I’ve changed the sheets on our beds and I should probably get around to doing that very soon, when I’m catching up on Facebook or playing Candy Crush on my phone. Again, I am fully aware that I am demonstrating how to be a lazy parent when I’m focused more on the games on my iPhone than on my household duties and my role as a wife and mother. However, I teach my children right from wrong. I have volunteered countless hours of my time at my sons’ schools, even taking over as their PTA President for the past two years. I have sat with other people’s children during school, helping them learn to read, write, and play math games. I have made thousands of copies for my boys’ teachers, decorated bulletin boards, chaired and organized class parties, and supplied food for teacher luncheons. My boys (knock on wood), both get straight A’s, work hard, study for tests and quizzes, are respectful to their teachers, and kind to other children. They are involved in many activities such as Taekwondo, baseball, football and swimming. As far as I can see, they are doing very well in spite of some of my lazy parenting tendencies. My point is this; there are probably better moms out there than me. I think I’m OK with that. There may even be better kids out there than mine. I’m definitely OK with that. And I think I am finally OK with the fact that my children aren’t perfect, I’m not perfect; our life is not perfect. There are going to be times when we eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a handful of Cheetos for dinner. I’m OK with that. Just so you are aware, that peanut butter, bread and jelly will most certainly be organic. : )
2 Comments
kimmy
8/11/2014 04:39:10 pm
Organic.....seriously??!! Do u really have to have the organic?! I'm not even gonna mention what I feed my kids for breakfast. Lol
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Carol Gorelick
8/25/2014 03:34:00 am
I think Ms. Manners would tell those high and mighty moms that, in order to truly be perfect, they can't bad mouth other people. That's basic Mom 101.
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