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Friday, January 20, 2012

Parenting

When asked about my parenting style, Ernest says I'm lenient.  I counter with, "but you never do anything bad!"  He and his brother never did anything that was punishable.  Well, toddler Frank did bite my chin every time I picked him up but it was out of love and how could I punish that.  I gave him a doggie chew toy instead.  And what could I do, ground them?  When their favorite place to be was at home?  I could, I suppose, have sent them to a party or something.  Anyway, life's been pretty smooth with those two.

 Here comes Frank with his chompers circa 1992.

And chewing on his favorite toy hammer a few months later.

Ernest is longing for his driver's license.  He says he feels bad because I have to drive him everywhere.  I keep telling him I don't mind at all.  My mother hated driving and didn't want to take me anywhere.  I feel I missed out on a lot, and I never wanted my sons to feel that way.  He tells me he hates asking.  I say I'll miss the chance to talk to him.

Because that's when we have these fascinating discussions.  This carried over to his piano lesson last night.  The teacher related another student's comments on how much Ernest has been able to accomplish but the girl complained "he doesn't hang out or go on Facebook."  Ernest just laughed when he heard this.  That's his secret.  He doesn't waste his time.  That, and getting enough sleep.  

5 comments:

  1. Hanging out....oy, that annoys me! I never remember doing that when I was a teenager--I was always busy.

    I don't know if my girls would say I was lenient, but like in your case, they never did anything to get in trouble. On the other hand, you know about my boys....sigh. I'm a dictator from their viewpoint.

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  2. My husband wishes that I didn't go on facebook (or blog for that matter). Oh, the time I spend on the computer! My boys are like yours... except they don't talk. I do envy you for that.

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  3. I had some great conversations with my son in the car when he was 13- 16 years old. The car is a great place to talk. I think it's because the driver has to keep his/her eyes on the road, so you feel more open to just words.

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  4. And that is the secret, don't waste time on things that prevent you from what you are really wanting to accomplish.

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