Mothering Many

From my email:
How do you and your DH split up or decide on the parenting “rules” or guidelines?

I’ve been looking at this question for weeks, trying to decide how to answer it. Most parenting guides will tell you that parents need to stand together and have the same limits. Let me ask you something. Do all of your children wear a size 4? Do all of them look good in neon orange? Do they have the same favorite foods? Unless you have identical twins your answer to all three questions was probably no. And even if you do have identical twins, your last answer might be no. So let me ask you another question: Are you and your husbands twins?

In fact, I think children can and should learn to relate to their parents differently. After all, they like for you to recognize them for who they are and appreciate their differences, right?
I guess I am not talking about basic rules here like “we don’t jump on the furniture.” In these types of things, yes, parents need to enforce the same standards. But as far as actually relating to your children on a personal level, you are you, and no one else, nor should you be.

If this doesn’t answer your question (and you know who you are), then feel free to email me again, or leave a comment.

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Monday and Tuesday night, I played cards with the kids. We played UNO, and we all had a ton of fun. Forget what the box says. My five year old can play with minimal help. He could play with no help, actually, and lose every time, and still be having fun. Monday night, we went through the deck twice without a winner, and I called the game on account of drooping eyelids from the children. Definitely recommended by this MoM.

Technorati Tags: UNO

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I know you will enjoy this blog! Jody is a mother to 4 young children, and she posts from the heart about her family. Take a few minutes to read who she is, and you’ll know the players involved in and baby makes 6!. Jody posts lots of great pictures, too. You know I love me some pictures.

I have to warn you that reading her blog will change your perspective on loving your husband. And I mean that in a totally awesome way.

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Just read that one again. I’ve finally got to the end of the massive laundry pile, and have decided that this tip really bears repeating. Several times.

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Here’s what works for me. More or less. I fell off the wagon on this one, and now I am paying for it with excess laundry.

When we change out our clothes, I make sure each kid has 7-10 tops and bottoms for everyday wear. And that’s all. More than that, and they end up on the floor. I have my kids start putting away there own laundry at about 4, so this helps them to not be overwhelmed by the job. I keep the “going out clothes” separate for the younger ones, and store those on the shelves in their closet. As kids get older and in charge of their own laundry, this can be relaxed a little. I’ve found that the clothes still end up on the floor, though, so be warned.

One more tip for today: You can buy it but you can’t make them wear it. This applies mostly to older children. There is no need to by them a closet-ful of clothes that they do not like. Save your money, and only buy pieces you can both like. Some of your children (namely 13 year old girls) will have only a few pieces of going-out-wear. That’s fine, because even if they had more, experience has taught me that they will wear the same favorites over and over anyway.

Technorati Tags: laundry, clothes

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Here’s a great place to check out childrens books. You can read them at the Libraries >> Children’s Digital Library [TeacherXpress.com]. The site includes new books as well as classics, and there are books for all ages and reading levels. A gem of a site, really!

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I apologize for my absence. See the title? Mothering Many? that’s what I’m doing, and it’s gonna keep me hopping over the next few days. I’ll be back Monday. Go play with your kids

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If your young children are like mine, they don’t really understand where the money goes and what it means when you tell them you don’t have the money for so-and-so right now. This is particularly true if you use checks to pay for most of your purchases. This will help you teach them a bit about spending limits without using budgeting software.

Get your paycheck cashed, and ask for small bills. Show your child the stack of currency, and then let them help you write down spending categories (groceries, rent/mortgage, gas, utilities, etc) on envelopes. Then let them help you count the money to go in each envelope. As they watch the stack of currency get smaller and smaller, it will help them understand where the money actually goes, and that the supply is not unlimited.

Technorati Tags: money

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I read this great article over the weekend, and I wanted to share it with you. It pertains to sleeping, or rather not sleeping, which I have discussed here before.
Moms’ 6 biggest sleep mistakes, and how to fix them

I’m guilty of about half of these mistakes.

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Moms (and I am so talking to myself here), when you give your kids a task to accomplish, help them by following through to make sure that they have done it completely and correctly, For instance, if you have them feed and water your pets, make sure they put the pet supplies back where they belong. I have this issue all the time, which is why I say I am talking to myself: after DS fed and watered our dogs today, I found the pitcher in the middle of the living room floor. He appeared shocked to discover that there is no cupboard there!

You’ll note that I said “help them”, too. Learning to see something through to completion is something that will serve them very well in later life.

Technorati Tags: chores

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