This afternoon has been hard, emotionally, on both Nathan and I.
He wants one thing, I want him to do another...and a downward spiral occurs. Have you ever just wanted to scream at the top of your lungs?! That was me today.
I mean it when I say that I would do anything in this world for Nathan. So why is it that I resist rocking him to sleep for his nap JUST THIS ONCE, or fight so hard NOT to lay with him until he falls to sleep at night? Am I being selfish? It's not going to kill him or me if I do certain things yet I struggle for power and control over it. Is it worth the battle over one or two small bad habits.
5 comments:
It is hard. Yes, I have been there. To answer your question, I DO think it is worth it to battle over those bad habits. That is our job as a parent. To teach them the difference between right and wrong. Is it so bad to rock to sleep? Of course not. But the lesson isn't sleep the lesson is to be obedient and follow directions. If you give in with sleep then what is to say you won't with the really important things? At least in his mind, he knows what to do to get you to do what he wants. I am no expert by any means but I did sleep training with Peyton. It was HARD. REALLY HARD. Now she is a great sleeper but I went through months of hell to get there. And I totally thin it was worth the crying, the tears, and the antidepressants it took to get me through it. :) Now comes the next chapter... I am sure I will be where you are at in a year or so. But I feel like I learned a good hard lesson to stick to my guns even though it sucks to teach them a lesson they don't want. But as far as I am concerned, it is not a choice. She doesn't have a choice on whether or not she goes to bed. She doesn't get a choice on whether or not to eat her vegetables. She doesn't get a choice about getting her shots or having her diaper changed. All things she doesn't like. It is what is best for her to be happy and healthy.
Don't know if that helps you or just makes it harder. Stick to your guns. If you do something over and over eventually the bad habit will go away and new better ones will form.
I will say a prayer for you! You are a great mom Trac!! Hang in there!
Traci – You are right motherhood is hard. One of the most important things I learned being a parent was to be consistent. Where I was strong, with this, good things occurred and where I was weak, it was just the opposite. State the rules clearly, choose your battles carefully, and stick to your guns always. You are a great mother with a wonderful little boy don’t be too hard on yourself. Another thing I noticed while I was raising my kids was when it was easy I wasn’t doing my job well enough.
Love ya
Dani
I love what Dani said to this. Wise Mama, indeed!!
I can so relate, sometimes I just think, "What's the harm?"
I don't have advice so I am going to sit back and read the comments so I can learn, it's a tough job that's for sure.
Stephanie and Dani are absolutely right!! You can do it, Traci. I know that it can be hard and some days it seems as though you are a complete hag and your child is going to hate you, but (from what I'm told) he will respect you more if you stick with it. I too struggle with it and sometimes cry after I put the kids to bed, but it's all a part of being a mother to these little people. Hang in there, Traci!! You are NOT alone!!!
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