Last time I mentioned this, someone on the list said that being relentless is
the job of a mother - and I guess that's true. It can be tiring, but it does
work.
I had to weigh in on this. I'm a fairly liberal person and love my children past what is reasonable, but I run a pretty tight ship around here. I may have said this before, but when my kids were indulged darlings in our yuppie household (we even added on a 'toy room' - now I would just get rid of some of the toys) there were tantrums and pouts and bad grades and even worse behavior in public. No one was happy - I kept using toys as a reward, tv time as a reward food as a reward, or bribes to get stuff done. . .
Now we have a lot less of everything - time, money, tv is gone with a bunch of other 'entertainment stuff' and treats, but we are so much happier. My kids have developed some life skills in caring for themselves and their environment, a strong work ethic which shows up in school, personal resilience when their every little whim is not gratified and close relationships with each other because they've learned to depend on each other and on themselves.
Hang in there, it's so worth it. The early days when life began to turn around here were pretty rocky, but it got easier as they began to 'get' it. Just keep a sense of humor and remember that the first job of parenting is to produce self suficient adults capable of finding happiness.
blessings,
rebecca
