thedadblog

Perhaps this post isn't even necessary? Or perhaps it is.

Writing a blog about parenting requires a certain amount of hubris.

And it inherently colors how you present yourself. I don't blog about my least proud parenting moments.

I look back at the things I thought when I was the parent of one child who was less than 2 years old.

Damn I thought I was a good parent then! Oh if I only knew.

When I hear “judge not lest ye be judged” I think whoever wrote that must have been a parent.

No matter how many experiences I have had, I know I can't know what another parent is going through when their kid is screaming in the middle of the restaurant.

Of course my first thought is “they're a horrible parent” but then of course, I think back to the many times my kids have freaked out a restaurant, and find a modicum of compassion.

So, this post is to go on the record and say: “it's not easy.” Yes I'm proud of some of my parenting choices, some of the tips and tricks we've come up with or learned over the years. But that doesn't mean we've got it figured out.

I'm not always the parent I wish I were.

And my tricks don't always work.

Sometimes my kids bite eachother.

Sometimes they kick eachother.

Sometimes I pick their bodies up and put them outside.

Sometimes the whole restaurant is staring at my eldest child wondering “What is wrong with that parent?” while I'm trying to shrink down in to nothingness.

And if you're the parent, for whom everything is easy: you've got it figured out, your kid is quiet, obedient, a creative and respectful genius... I see you judging me. I'll let you know I've got one of those. And they've shown me that it's not a result of parenting choices... The kid gets all the credit. So stuff it.