At bedtime my children and I always read books. The boys each pick a book and we read it together. I don't know how it happened, but a couple of nights ago instead of reading books we ended up watching the musical numbers in Pete's Dragon (One of the boys' favorite movies). The boys knew every word and were happily singing along. "Mom, listen! I love this part!" "Watch, mom! This is my favorite!" They were both in their pajamas and all snuggled up with me. I loved every minute of it!
One thing I have learned as a mother is that sometimes it's good to mix things up. Another thing I have learned is that it's important to take time to have fun with your children. Sure you want to teach them right from wrong and prepare them for adulthood, but they are only children for a brief amount of time and I want them to have so many fun memories that they have story after story to share with their children someday. Pretending to be pirates while we brushed our teeth, making yogurt covered blueberries while pretending to be a on a cooking show (goofy accents included, of course), singing along to musicals, making robots with their dad, and hunting ghosts, monsters, and aliens with water guns.
Parenting isn't always easy, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun! We don't have our kids on a strict schedule. (I heard that! Why are you gasping??) They go to bed AROUND the same time each night and yada yada, but they have never really been on a schedule. As babies and toddlers they didn't go down at a certain time for a nap--we just put them down when they were tired. We didn't give them a bottle as babies every so many hours--when they were hungry they told us and we fed them. We are doing this now with Kaitlyn. Every child is different and every parent is different and THIS is what works for US. We encourage imagination and creativity. We encourage questioning everything in life and coming up with your own opinions. We like cookie cutters for cookies . . . not for life! And you know what? My children never threw tantrums in public and they never talked back to us. They are respectful of other people. They are well behaved and well rounded children--and I would like to think that as their parents we had some part in that. ;)
And the biggest thing I have learned? Cheering is the best medicine for anything your child is going through. What an amazing feeling to cheer for your child. I'm not just talking about in sports, either. I am referring to cheering them on as they try their best in every day tasks. I want my children to know that I'm rooting for them no matter what they are doing--and the feeling you get when their faces light up because they know you believe in them is the best feeling in the world.
So, to all the proud moms out there--let's hear you cheer!!
