Sunday, 17 April 2011

• Best Parenting Advice?

  
  I've been thinking a lot about parenting advice lately. Most of it is always unsolicited, of course, and the majority of it is either unwelcome or just plain old bad/outdated advice.

  But sometimes, you come across gold. I can think of two pieces of advice that have been the most helpful to me personally as I fumble through this adventure known as motherhood. 

  The first golden piece of advice I got was from an old boss. Along the same lines as "God will never give you more than you can handle," he told me to always remember that my kids will grow out of whatever stage it is *just* when I think I can't stand one more minute of it.
  
  I have found this to be so true! I think even of the rough nights that we had during the month of March as Hannah (two years old) had been waking up multiple times a night every night. At 35+ weeks pregnant, just when I thought I was going to scream and pull all of my hair out, she started sleeping through the night again.
  
  Sometimes your kids just know when you've reached your "breaking point" and then they turn a corner. Great advice to remember during those rough patches!

  I don't even remember who told me this, or perhaps I read it in a mommy magazine, but one of the other most helpful pieces of advice I've received is to "Never try to make a happy kid even happier."
  
  For example, if your kid is sound asleep in her carseat but her neck is twisted at an awkward angle, don't even bother trying to stick a pillow or stuffed animal under her head to make her more comfortable. Chances are, you will wake up your kiddo and she will scream the rest of the way home because her snooze got interrupted. She was perfectly happy to pass out with her neck at an awkward angle, so next time don't try to make her "happier" because it probably will backfire. 

  My hubby found this out the hard way the other day. I don't remember what Hannah was doing, but she was perfectly happy doing it in her own special way. Chris thought he would help her out by showing her the "right" way to do it, but she promptly melted down into a ferocious temper tantrum. So what if your kid is doing something "the wrong way" or you think they might be happier if they do it a different way? If your baby/toddler is happy, just let them be!

  What are some great pieces of parenting advice that you received and put into practice daily? What are some of the worst pieces of advice you've heard?

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