Things I No Longer Judge My Parents For

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You know you've been there...one of your parents is telling a story from your childhood and you think "WTF, Mom? You let me play in the street til midnight/cry it out/nurse til I was eight/etc.?!" You might have gotten this from some of my previous posts, but I can be pretty judgmental (shocking) and there are definitely still some things my parents did that I think to myself...Really? REALLY?! But some of those things, now that I've become a parent, I actually understand or (gasp!) have even done myself.

So, parental units, I no longer judge you too harshly for...
  • Putting a sticker on the door during our nap times threatening the life of anyone who rang the doorbell. Because you know what? If I had a threatening sticker (which, in their defense, really just said "Please do not disturb. Baby napping." but I knew the truth behind the words) perhaps LaKersha from Constellation Energy would not have knocked on our door TWICE last night at 7:30. Take a clue, LaKersha! If I don't answer the first time, go the F away. And if my baby wakes up, you can have fun putting her back to sleep. I feel so strongly about this that I am very seriously considering buying this.
  • Serving us boxed mac and cheese, goldfish, Chef Boyardee and Bugels on a regular basis. We liked it. It was cheap. It was easy. It's not always worth the fight. (We ate fruit and veggies too. Did you know there's one serving of vegetables in Chef Boyardee ravioli?;))
  • Crying when we cried. As I'm listening to my baby cry in her crib because I am at a loss as to what else to do to get her to go to sleep, I get it. Sometimes when they cry, it makes you cry. Because it breaks your heart. Because you feel like a failure. Because you're frustrated. Pass the tissues. And the tequila. Ok, it's only 10:30 a.m...wine. Pleaseandthankyou.
  • Going shopping just to get out of the house. We lived at the grocery store as kids. I'm sure if we had a Target in Alaska back then, we would have lived there...And I shop more now than I did pre-baby. There are days we just have to get out of the house and Target is calling our names...and who can walk out of that store w/o spending some money? I just NEED that purse/body wash/shirt/etc. I get it mom, I do.

  • Taking Books/Papers/Newspapers/Etc. into the bathroom - I used to think "Ewww, grooooosssssssssss." when one of my parents did that. But then I'd go in there after them and, (there's no delicate way to say this) it didn't stink. I now understand why this is. Because the bathroom is the only place they are less likely to be bothered. Now obviously my kid is too young to get this and is equally fascinated by watching me pee as she is by eating her shoe (child prodigy!!) but you know if I walk into the bathroom w/ my kindle my husband is not going to be knocking on the door asking me if Clara is old enough to eat whatever food it is that's already in her mouth. So I can sit on the bathroom floor and play "Words With Friends" for 10 minutes by myself. It's genius. Don't tell my husband. (Although I'm pretty sure he does this himself...it's an unspoken parental agreement.)
  • Not taking us on vacation - Ok, we did travel more than a lot of people in the lower 48 did, because it's necessary for an Alaskan's sanity...you just work that money into the COL up there. But there were three solid years in a row when we were young kids that we didn't take one vacation, unless you count weekend hockey trips around the state for my brothers (my mother and I did not count these). They told us it was because of money, but now that I've flown to Florida and back with Clara...I KNOW. I KNOW THE TRUTH, MOM AND DAD. It's because who wants to lasso three children on and off multiple plans that are bound to be delayed?! A week at Disney Land or visiting family just isn't worth it. Family should come to us! Or don't. That's ok too. ;)


I know exactly what my dad is thinking...these carousel and teacup rides were so worth traveling 2,000 miles with these kids and selling one of my kidneys to make it happen. ;)

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