S/O. What’s the worst thing you do as a parent?

[Anonymous]

Damn, I feel like an awesome parent! I’m rarely on my phone when DCs are around. If I need downtime I read a book.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Damn, I feel like an awesome parent! I’m rarely on my phone when DCs are around. If I need downtime I read a book.

It's probably easier when you have no friends to text with.

[Anonymous]

All of the above! But mostly anger and phone. Oh and all that noise is uggghhhhh for my poor introverted noise-sensitive migraine suffering soul. We were at my in laws house for a meal the other day and they put the food on the table and my loud rambunctious kids start yelling I want this I need a fork can you do this i need this blah blah blah, and getting up and moving chairs and knocking over things to get to the food and the look on my introverted father in laws’s face was priceless. We made eye contact, shook our heads, and then I yelled: Everyone: Butts in seats NOW! No talking. Wait to be served. It’s like they’re savages.

[Anonymous]

Phone too much, irritable, yelling more than I’d like, they eat too many processed foods (but they also eat a lot of fruits and vegetables and a vegetarian diet so it kind of balances out…I hope), we are pretty rigid/strict with them sometimes and pretty laid back and lacking clear rules on things other times which means inconsistency which I know isn’t good for them, my spouse and I both have anxiety and depression which I know the kids sense on some level and I can see signs of anxiety in my oldest which makes me sad.

We do a lot of things well as parents too: we talk to our kids about any and everything, we take them out to do lots of kid centered fun activities, we limit screen time, we read to them a lot, play with them a lot, make sure they get plenty of sleep, don’t force them to do things they’re not comfortable with, tell them we love them often, don’t criticize them, love them for who they are…

I don’t know if it’s the right balance of good and bad or not. No one is perfect. And pretty much every adult—even those who had pretty great childhoods like I did—can still reflect on their parents and realize lots of flaws. I hope my kids don’t judge me too harshly one day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Damn, I feel like an awesome parent! I’m rarely on my phone when DCs are around. If I need downtime I read a book.

It's probably easier when you have no friends to text with.

I have plenty of friends, but they know to wait until 9pm for replies to any non-urgent texts (eg weekend plans or random observations)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so easily annoyed. I tell my toddler to stop doing things just because it annoys me - like playing with a certain toy or banging his feet on something. I have too many “please stop that”s.

And I think I expect too much from my kids too young.

+1. I am so easily annoyed!! And kids just being kids are so annoying!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m so easily annoyed. I tell my toddler to stop doing things just because it annoys me - like playing with a certain toy or banging his feet on something. I have too many “please stop that”s.

And I think I expect too much from my kids too young.

Omg SAME! I hate it but don’t know how to stop.