The Struggle is Real

Let’s play “Have you ever…?” (Survival Parenting edition)

April 12, 2017

Sometimes my parenting skills are questionable. I’m exhausted and parenting can be hard. My boys are 8 and 6 – and I wish I had half their energy.

Sometimes I’m just tired. Sometimes I’ve just worked too much, sometimes I’ve got big stress on my plate and I can’t focus on answering even one more question or make one more dinner or figure out which kid has karate and which one is going swimming today.

It’s not that I don’t love my kids to the moon and back, and I hope you won’t judge me, but sometimes mama just needs a minute or two. I call it “Survival Parenting.”

So, in the spirit of making myself feel better and hoping to find I’m not the only parent that, despite all my love, organic food and educational toys, has some sketchy parenting skills, I’m going to confess my dirty dozen.

Have you ever:

1. Gone to IKEA with no intention of shopping, dropped the kids off for the free hour of babysitting and sat down with a coffee and a magazine in the cafeteria

2. Gone to the bathroom, locked the door and just sat there, hoping the won’t hunt you down – with or without chocolate

3. Set the clocks ahead and told them it was bedtime

4. Gone to a fast food restaurant with a play place just because you wanted to space out on your phone and have your kids in a safe, contained space

5. Let them watch 6 hours of TV because you need to sleep (I checked on them a couple of times)

6. Sent them to school when they were probably sick enough to stay home

7. Had fast food or instant dinner 2 nights in a row (okay, three nights in a row), because… just because

8. Let them have dessert for breakfast

9. Told them the park/pool/play place was closed because you just couldn’t handle that place

10. Made up a horrible, inappropriate punishment to threaten them with because you need them to come here. RIGHT. NOW. and you can’t put up the fight

11. Made a second dinner because they just wouldn’t eat and it was easier to just do it than to argue

12. Looked through the laundry for some ‘not-too-dirty’ pants because you totally forgot/didn’t care/purposely didn’t do the laundry

There. There it is. My shame in 12 easy sentences. I can’t be alone – would love to hear about your most stellar parenting moments!