What Do You Do When Parents Need Parenting

Wachootoo In The Flesh!

What’s up my little toaster strudels. It’s been a week. Nothing particularly odd, but still interesting and fun in it’s own ways. My oldest has had a cough. Not bad, it hasn’t cost her anytime at school, but she was kicked out of her chorus practice due to the distraction she was causing, and forced to wear a face mask (most likely because of the Corona Virus Scare). The baby is bad. Cute, but Wachootoo through and through. We had an incident where she threw a fit while I was changing her diaper. Figured she pooped and peed so, against my better judgement, I allowed her to run around naked and get it out of her system. What I didn’t expect was what was still in her system. . . A few minutes into her nude romp around, I look over to find her squatting in the kitchen, depositing a super special gift for me on the floor. . . At least it wasn’t on the carpet (I’m looking at you cats).

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Admittedly, I struggled a little with what I wanted to post this week. I kept distracting myself with games and music, and that got me thinking. I need more discipline. I need to be parented. So, What Do You Do When You, As a Parent Needs Parenting?

We all misbehave sometimes. That’s just a fact. We all can’t be Ned Flanders all of the time. And me? I’m one of the worst. I curse way too much. I’m sure my daughter has expanded her language greatly because of my many “slip-ups”. I’m no good at being healthy. I follow up a few days on intermittent fasting with soda for lunch and potato chips at 11pm (which I’m currently enjoying). Of course this goes hand in hand with me complaining about not losing weight. It’s certainly not my fault. But probably my worst fault is purposely starting arguments online. It’s so much fun to make comments I know will fire people up. This gets real bad when I bring up politics. We all know we’re not changing anyone’s views on Facebook, but it’s just too easy of a target to hit. My wife is endlessly yelling at me about it, but it’s just too much fun.

Of course, when starting arguments, I occasionally play myself and start to lose my temper.

It’s Relevant If You Get It. . .

I’ve also been known to yell when Avari is on her third bedtime snack and it’s almost ten o’clock at night. Regardless most every parent will, from time to time, have to check their emotions. Really anger can dampen a mood, and even affect relationships. Personally, I often find this to be a difficult, if not impossible task.

What’s my largest problem personally? That’s easy. Procrastination. I’m king, “I’ll do it tomorrow” guy. I mean, look at this blog post. I’ve been writing it for a week, and it’s not even that long! Last night, I skipped writing to play Sudoku… Every person is guilty of it from time to time. Some more than others.

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So how do you Parent a Parent? I am wise, and all knowing, so let me learn ya. I believe the most simple place to start is Setting Limits and Practicing Self Control. Some examples, I’m trying to set aside a small window for playing games, or meandering around social media. Outside of that allotted time, I’m trying to be productive. Whether it be spending time with my family, doing chores, or writing. Another good example is setting limits by simply removing the offending problem. I was never a heavy drinker, but I had begun hitting the bottle a little too often. I noticed, and my wife noticed. The solution was to not bring alcohol into the house unless it was a special occasion. So, not so extreme as to quit drinking all together, but severely limiting my access to it.

Which, brings me to my next strategy for a “mommy-ing” and “daddy-ing” a mommy and daddy.

Use Your Support Group. And, by that, I mean your friends and family. For me, I know I can lean on my wife and even my eldest daughter. The baby may not be able to give me advice or set my ass straight when I need it, but she sure can be a distraction from the distractions (if that makes sense). Trust in your loved ones, let them in and let them help. Even if it means getting yelled at because you’re being a bit of a butt-hole.

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It’s About Time My Daughter Learned That I’m “The Excellence of Execution”