Wednesday, August 14, 2013

"We Don't Negotiate With Terrorists"

When our children are babies when can't wait for them to start talking right? We put our faces in theirs and say "mama mama" over and over again. Unless your my husband and you are trying to make it your mission for the first word to be "da da." But when they are cute and babbling, we don't ever think about the fact that not long after talking comes talking back.

Nick Jr, late at night, airs programming aimed at moms and one of their shows is called "Take Me To Your Mother."  The show follows comedian and new mother Andrea Rosen as she gets advice from all sorts of women from a variety of cultural backgrounds on raising kids. Last night, in an episode where Andrea was speaking with a group of chic French mommas, one of the women jokingly said, "we don't negotiate with terrorists." She was of course referring to the kids.  (watch this episode here :http://www.nickmom.com/tv/take-me-to-your-mother/videos/andrea-gets-some-grace/)  

It got me thinking about parenting philosophies and how we raise our kids. I was brought up in a household that allowed for no questions or explanations. What mom and dad said was law, no ifs ands or buts about it. This of course frustrated me to no end, especially as a teenager, and I always said that when I had kids I would listen to them. I would hear them out, let them express their opinions, and give reasonable explanations for my decisions. I guess I didn't realize that kids aren't always reasonable.

I never wanted to be that mom that said, "because I said so," but I've reconciled with the fact that sometimes "because I said so" really is the best response. So what about you? Is your house a dictatorship or a democracy? Something in between. I'm sure that just like with everything else when it comes to parenting, there is no one right way.

2 comments:

  1. Definitely a democracy. Which sounds good . . . on paper . . .

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  2. Something in between! Democracy on a good day with no interrupted sleep and plenty of activities, and a Dictatorship when I'm stressed! Sorry kids, Mamma ain't perfect! On a bad day, do as your told and keep your head down. The good days are far more numerous and much more fun!

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