I Said I Would Never

So this week over at Becky’s blog ,the topic is – I Said I Would Never – things you said you would never do once you became a parent…and then of course you did.  I really like this topic because it shows that people are not always as “perfect” as they may seem to be, that everyone changes their ideas on parenting.  This topic can help you realize that something you use to judge another parent for doing, you ended up doing yourself – at least this is true for me.   I think it’s a good eye opener to realize everyone just does what they think is best and we shouldn't judge anyone for that.  

     *1*  I would never let my baby sleep in our room (in a bassinet)

I remember saying when I was pregnant with Brayden how he was going to come home from the hospital and go straight into his crib.  I laugh at this thought now since he did in fact sleep in our room for 3 months.  Since I was breastfeeding it just made sense to have him right next to me to grab in the middle of the night instead of walking like a zombie trying to make it to his room.

*2* I would never let my baby use a paci past 3 months

I remember reading somewhere to take the paci away around 3 months because at that time it is not yet habit forming and the baby wouldn't know the difference.  Well I think that lasted about 5 minutes! I realized Brayden needed that paci to calm himself down or just feel safe.  We did however only use the paci at nighttime around 1 year and at 2 years we got rid of the paci forever.

*3* I would never let my kid watch tv until 1 year

I think the recommended age is 2 before kids should watch tv but I knew that was a long shot, so I thought 1 sounded better.  Again, I just laugh at my naïve self pre-kids.  I think Brayden was watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at 3 months old….and loving it! When I figured out a tv show with bright colors could calm my little man down or give me 20 minutes to fix dinner or clean, I went with it.  

*4* I would never let my child use an I-Phone or I-Pad until they were well into the toddler years, even then I thought it was crazy.

I remember seeing little kids, I mean like 1-2 years old, using an I-pad or I-phone and being able to maneuver that thing better than I could! Using apps, taking pictures, swiping left to right, I mean it really amazed me, but at the same time, I always thought, “they are WAY too young to know all that” I would tell myself I would never let my kids use either of those devices at such a young age when they should be being kids and playing with toys.  Well, lo and behold, Brayden at the age of 2 was using the Ipad like a pro! To this day my Mom watches him in pure amazement at all he knows how to do on it. 

*5* I would never yell at my kids

Ha ha ha, this one really makes me laugh out loud.  While I’m not proud of the times I do yell, it unfortunately happens. Toddlers really test you and some days I just can’t try the whole nice approach and reason with my child, so I just yell, and you know what? When I do yell, he listens.  I absolutely hate that I have to yell and I am trying to work on other alternatives – usually more time outs, but either way, I said I would never yell and that was completely false! 

I am sure there are many more things I said I would never do once I became a Mom! It's kind of fun to look back at the picture I painted about becoming a parent and how different it really is now.