What Are You...

You know, it's funny. I have been so consumed with what I have been doing wrong lately, that I had to think of something that I am proud of. Thank you for making me take the time to think about it!

I am proud that I was able to help my sweet, compliant son stand up for himself in a firm but respectful manner. Seeing him do that puts me at ease that he won't be "walked on" later in life.
Also very proud of the fact that my kids (age 4 and 7) will request a big spinach salad at dinner. :) They love healthy food!

My worst is being short tempered too. I am getting so much better!

I can honestly say that I am most proud of the fact that my boys even at 14 and 7 are still my boys. We hang out play games, watch movies, sit and talk about life and other stuff. My teenager has actually on more than one occasion made the choice to stay home and hang out rather than go with his friends. I trust them they trust me and every time I look at them I think
" they are fantastic".
I regret that they have been bounced around a few times had to be new kid as school probably more than they should and there have been a few arguments between grown ups they probably shouldnt have heard.

This is a great question S.! I'm most proud of how much I love my kids (sounds stupid but some of the parents I see out and about make me wonder why they haven't eaten their young yet!) and also how much I've taught them in their early years. My ten year old is thriving and just doing awesomely in a charter school, and my 2 year old is a chatty Cathy in daycare, but those first few months and years when they're babies, they only have the people around them to learn from.

What could I have done better? I could probably write a book on what I could have done better. One thing that happened very recently, and I'm totally ashamed of it. When we go grocery shopping, my 10 year old likes to get a hot cocoa from Starbucks and sit and wait for me and the baby in the cafe area. I guess I had never thought I was endangering him by leaving him there while we shopped, because there are always so many people around. Which as I type it sounds so ridiculous, because the people that were around were complete strangers. Anyway, this past weekend, when I went back to get him, the security officer there scolded me (very nicely) about leaving him there while I shopped. I am still feeling awful about it. It's not often that I feel like a bad mom. But I do, and I should. I am so thankful that he said something to me BEFORE something awful happened to my son. I will never make the mistake of doing this (or anything like it) again, but even w/ the lesson learned, I still feel horrible. This is how kidnappings or worse happen, and I exposed my son to serious danger. Geez, this turned out a lot longer than I intended, sorry I guess I needed to get it off my chest.

Awesome question S.!
J.

I am proud.... of myself as a Mom... that I let my kids, be themselves and I accept them for who they are. Not trying to make them into what 'I" want. Letting them nurture themselves. AND I teach them to be themselves... not just a sheep... doing things just because other kids are. My kids have a real solid sense of identity... even from when they were younger. They KNOW 'who' they are. And can express themselves, their feelings, very articulately.

My worst: when PMS'ing... I am not pleasant. I know that. And I talk louder... at those times. Not pleasant.

all the best,
Susan

I have raised a real independent thinker--a boy who questions authority when he needs to. And I love that (even when it bites ME in the butt)! He is also very kind, and often sticks up for his friends when he feels they are being picked on.

I wish I would have encouraged/insisted on more independence regarding personal care...he still wants me to put his socks & shoes on!

Oh what a wonderful question! Thank you for asking...I enjoy the other posts very much:)

I'm a new first time mama with an 11 month old son. So far, the thing I'm most proud of is being able to fill his little world with lots of laughter and smiles. And this was possible because I think I've been able to let go of past suffering from various differnt tragedies in my life and live in the present with him. For most of my life I never thought i'd be a happy person and now that I have my son, it's almost like a clean slate. Loving him is wonderful:)

The thing I wish I could've done differently is to learn more about breast feeding before giving birth so i'd be more prepared and knowledgable. I only got to breastfeed him a dozen times or so before I felt like such a failure that I pumped exclusively for his first 5 months. He's very healthy and it worked out, so this is a selfish regret because I really did enjoy it.

I have plenty of years ahead to have less selfish regrets for sure. But for now, these are my best and worst examples:)

Great question. But I am totally down with a previous poster who said it is so easy to focus on what we are doing wrong. So I am going to just find one thing I am doing right! I know that in any given day, I do lots of things right, but off the top of my head...

My kiddos love (LOVE) to read! It is something I have been building in them since birth. I believe it is a blessing they will be able to appreciate until they are old and in their rocking chairs.

"Looking back on it now, I wish I hadn't been so short-tempered and frustrated as my son entered his terrible twos. Now I can't get that time back. And I've said some really mean things to him."
:( I am so going through that right now with my daughter. Thank you for sharing - it's soooo hard.
However, my daughter's eating habit are great - people are surprised at the foods she likes and/or will try - she loves V-8 juice, sushi, the even tried octopus and escargot on our cruise!
She's a good swimmer for being 4 1/2, and has great (most of the time!) manners.
We all have ups and downs - you are doing a great job, I'm sure.

I am most proud of the kind, sweet, gentle heart my 6 y/o has ~ he has the ability to see the best in everyone!! Not sure I had much to do with that, I give the Lord that credit.
With my 2 y/o I am most proud of his manners. He says please and thank you about 90% of the time without having to be reminded.
My step daughter is the most forgiving teenager I have met. She tells it like it is, gets it off her chest and does not hold a grudge. Makes me very proud.
Worst.....losing my temper with all of them at some point and yelling. I hated it when my Mom would yell and I try so hard not to. Like a few have said......you can't take it back.

I am stronger than I ever thought I would be. I wish I wouldn't have spent so much time and money on material things and just spent more time with my kids. I have found that my kids are better off with more siblings and less things. I wish I would have never sent my kids to private or public school and home-schooled them from the very beginning.

Hi S.
Great post
BEST-providing a very loving ,safe and cosy environment where my son is free to express himself and develope his natural personality. Also like you my son has a great appetite for healthy food.
WORST-the days where I crave sleep and wish I could book myself into some hotel for a pamper and sleep. The days where I feel that motherhood is the hardest job in the world.
B.

I also like this question. And, egotistically, I'm proud of a lot. The thing I'm most proud of is that my 90 year old grandmother constantly tells me that my children are well behaved but also a joy to be around, and that we're doing very good jobs as parents. I feel like after 90 years she's seen her fair share of good and bad kids, so she knows.

I think that there are a lot of things that I could do better. The thing that drives me the most crazy is that I find it so much easier to show physical affection to my son than my daughter. She's never been a "touchy" kid, and she knows that I love her to pieces, but I do worry that it hurts her feelings that I'm much snugglier with her younger brother.

I am proud of the open relationship i have with my daughters. We talk to each other about anything and everything.

I wish i had a little more patience. With four kids and a husband that works long hours, i lose my patience more than i would like :(

Mine is only 2 but what I'm most proud of is that my daughter has great manners and we have never really had to prompt her. My husband and I model good manners so she just does what we do. I feel like we really got that one right. We've always taken her out and put her in all kinds of situations so she's well behaved when we go out. Finally, she's independent. We have encouraged her to try things that are new or different, to work things out on her own and do things she's unsure of always knowing that we're there if she needs us. We're definitely not helicopter parents and I think that's made her more sure of herself, her instincts, and her judgment.

What we've done wrong well that's a never ending list! We've let her have a pacifier for too long, I let her have meals away from the table too often, I get frustrated with her too often, and like another poster said, we have too many lazy days.

i feel bad about not breastfeeding my first daughter, she had blood incompatibility jaundice and was always falling asleep at the breast, i lost my patience, pumped my milk and gave it to her through the bottle for 4 months, it went on like that until i dried up. Ive breastfed my newest daughter for the last two years and the bonding experience is one i regret i did not have with my first daughter. I also feel as if i didnt let my oldest "just be a kid" enough, i tried to instill independence too early and this led to a maturity beyond her years but also a lost youth and panicky attitude. My decisions that i love are

attachment parenting- breastfeeding and co sleeping, not using "cio" and following my instincts

Love this post. :-)

I am most proud that other people tell me what a kind, caring and considerate daughter I have. Sure she acts up for me sometimes but I must have done a few things right. If ever I tell anyone about a very rare tantrum, they look at me like are you sure you are talking about the same child or maybe that I was dreaming!! lol

Somehow my kids turned out smart, healthy good eaters, athletic (well that's dad's genes - guess I didn't DO that), kind and super funny!!!! Their only 6 and 8, so we'll have to wait and see if I can hold in all together thru the teen years!!!

Best (although I still struggle with this decision) was to quit working and concentrate on raising them. One of my daughter's has a hearing loss. She is in first grade and she scored highest in class (reading, writing, math, science, religion, spelling). I will take the credit for that because I know she misses a lot in school due to not being able to hear everything (does not wear a hearing aid). Best for my other child: teaching her to love reading. She is 6 and reads chapter books, and is able to discuss them with me. She is my mini me. My obsession is reading. Her obsession is reading.
Best for both: teaching them early on good sleeping habits. They've had their 7:30 bedtime since they were 2. They sleep great. They stay in bed. They know the routine.
Worst: Geez, where do I begin? Well wish I had put my foot down on all the moves my husband made. Moving from one state too another was so hard on my kids and me. Worst: a few years ago, I noticed I was losing patience, and energy. Wish I had gone and checked myself sooner. I eventually did and was diagnosed with graves disease which explained my extreme fatigue, nervousness, lack of energy, and impatience. Worst: I wish I had learned how to cook sooner. My kids spent at least a year eating mac and cheese and hot dogs because they hated my cooking. I eventually did learn how to cook, and only healthy, but I wish I could take that year back.
Worst: going through this right now, and I know my kids get this from their dad, but they're not very into making friends. They don't approach kids. They wait to be approached. I don't want them to grow up being followers. I want to teach them how to be leaders, but this could be something in their genes. Their dad is a follower.
I cannot take anything back but I can try to make sure from now on I do my very best.

You know, I don't know how I did it. Before my fiance came along, it was just me and my 2 daughters. They say yes ma'am, no sir, please, thank you, and LOVE FRUITS AND VEGGIES!! Great kids. I have no idea how I managed! Now that my son is here... lord, I don't think I'm doing ANYTHING right. The child is an absolute monster (an adorable, squishy, fun loving TERROR)... he only wants graham crackers and grilled cheese sandwiches. He never sleeps. He yells 24/7. He breaks everything. I love him, but my gray hairs (at 26!!) and under eye circles can't touch the stress I feel inside. I can't seem to get it right this time around! I'm sure I'll look back and think of a thousand things I should have done different... right now, he's lucky I haven't sold him to the gypsies ;)

best - she is super smart, very talkative, has conversations that are coherent and situation appropriate (shes 2), loves all kinds of foods (broccoli, green/red peppers, blueberries, chicken, etc), and is just super cute and confident of herself.

worst - I have days when i raise my voice. I get lazy days where I don't feel like going to the park or the jumping jacks and feel guilty later because I will watch tv on lazy days and play with her around the house but feel guilty that we didn't do fun things that day.

Worst - I'm not patient and I'm a perfectionist. This is a problem because I'm seeing shades of this in my 4 year old and it worries me.

Best - Sleep training my kids because they're great sleepers and are basically happy and healthy while awake. Also, avoiding the annoying and counterproductive role of being a helicopter mom.