Okay I know this wasn't on my lists of lists but I have noticed several myths people have about raising children that I thought I would share and explain why I feel they are myths:
1) Girls are easier than boys. First of all no one with a girl over the age of 7 believes this. Maybe at age 3 girls are easier but after that, I'm thinkin no. As a teacher I noticed that usually boys get over things much easier and with much less drama. I have lots of drama in my house. If you could bottle up drama and use it as energy than the amount of drama in my house could run an entire country. Okay a small country, but still.
2) The older children get the easier they are. Again, no. Only people with really young children that have been deprived of sleep believe this. They believe this because it helps them make it through the long nights. This is however, not true. When they get older they learn how to talk, and argue and negotiate. They get opinions. Lots of them. And they aren't afraid to share them either. They learn how to read and write. They read things you wish they didn't. They start asking seriously provocative questions. Some questions you can't answer. Not that you don't want to, you can't because you don't know the answer. They have homework and eventually, hormones. They get friends. They lose friends. They fight with friends.
3) You shouldn't tell your kids everything. This also is not true. Honesty is always the best policy. In my opinion if a child is smart enough to ask the question they should get the answer. The entire answer. Of course this can back fire on you when your 7 year old is drawing penises on the sport court but other than that, I am all for full disclosure. Well-you know what I mean.
4) It's fun to watch your children grow up. This is both true and false. Yes I like being able to enjoy the experiences of life with my children but it is also painful. It hurts when they cry telling you about how a friend hurt their feelings. It is painful to tell them that there are bad people who will hurt them for no reason. It is hard when you tell them something and they choose not to listen and you have to watch them get disappointed. It hurts watching them go out and make mistakes and then have to suffer the consequences. It is not easy watching them get more and more independent and saying things like: " Look Mom I did it all by myself and I didn't need you at all." Ouch. It's not that I don't want them to have these experiences. I know they are "part of life" but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
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1 comment:
I agree. And I'm starting to see the "boys are easier than girls" because, even though he's still a pain about getting dressed, there is no drama about friends and feelings. Yet.
And I agree about growing up. If I had to give up a year of my life, I would do it for one day with Son at age two. It was hard, but sometimes I think back on those days as "easy." It didn't seem so at the time, but it's true, they grow up so fast! Damn them!
And how many times do we have to hear them say, "You're so mean! You don't love me." Ouch is right!
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