Sometimes, the advice you get from well-meaning friends and family can really do your head in. I have been given such inspiring nuggets of knowledge over the years I thought I would share a few of my favorites.
1. Never say “no” to your child. They’ll just cry and throw a tantrum until they get their way, so you might as well give in and save yourself the headache.
2. Be sure to coddle your child and give them whatever they want. That way, they’ll always be happy and you’ll never have to deal with negative emotions.
3. Discipline is important, but be sure to do it in a way that will make your child hate you. That way, they’ll be sure to behave next time!
4. Never take your child’s decisions seriously. What do they know? They’re just a kid! You know what’s best for them, so just do whatever you want without consulting them first.
5. Good communication is key in parenting. Be sure to talk to your kids about everything…except for the things that actually matter to them.
6. Never let your kids see you sweat. You need to be the perfect parent at all times, or else they’ll think it’s okay to make mistakes too.
7. Every problem has a solution, so be sure to find one…even if it means ignoring the problem entirely.
8. Consistency is key, so make sure you follow through on every threat…even if it’s completely unreasonable or impossible to actually do what you said you would do.
9. Arguing with your partner in front of your kids is a great way to show them how adults handle conflict resolution!
10. Finally, always remember that parenting is a competition…and if you’re not winning, you’re doing something wrong!
If you haven’t figured it out by now, 1-10 is everything you should NOT be doing as a parent. But it’s important to have a sense of humor about it all or else we’ll go crazy for real. So take this advice with a grain of salt (or maybe even a shot of whiskey) and don’t take yourself too seriously…because at the end of the day, as long as everyone is safe, healthy, and loved that’s all that matters.
For some great parenting advice: check out this post on patience while parenting.
