Before I became a mother, I tended to be critical of other people’s parenting styles (bad, I know…you know you’ve all been there at some point). I found myself saying, “Oh I would NEVER let my kid do that”. Yeah, I QUICKLY learned that I was delusional. HEY! You do what you have to do sometimes. So to all the moms and dads out there that I was critical of….a the big apology from me 🙂

So here’s my list of things I said I would NEVER let happen with my child. Ha! Who was I kidding?

• I will never let my child scream/cry bloody murder in a restaurant while other people are trying to enjoy their dinner. (Sorry dining folks – I try my best to prevent it, but sometimes it just has to happen)
• I will NEVER give my child formula…momma’s milk is best! (I still a big advocate of breastfeeding, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. My son never latched on properly so I exclusively pumped for months. However, my supply started to diminish. I supplemented my breast milk with formula because I just wasn’t producing enough. When he was 10 1⁄2 months I officially lost that battle)
• I don’t want my kid to have a pacifier. And if he must have one, when he turns 1 that paci is GONE!
• I’m not going to let my child watch any TV until he’s X years old. (Sometimes a Mickey Mouse episode…or 2…is necessary when I need to get something done or when we’re on a long car ride)
• I will NEVER use candy/treats are bribery. (Well….sometimes….just sometimes….in times of desperation…)
• I will NEVER take my kid out with messy hair, a dirty face, and/or stained clothes.
• I will NEVER let my child eat ONLY grilled cheese, pizza, chicken & potatoes. And I will never make separate dinners. (This is a battle that I am currently struggling with.)
• I will NEVER let my kid wear clothes with cartoon characters – Thomas, Mickey, etc. (Yeah I’m still not a big fan of this, but when he loves something so much…I give in sometimes).
• My house will NEVER look like ToysRUs just threw up inside. (Ummm….that didn’t work out so much. Kid stuff just somehow manages to accumulate and scatter EVERYWHERE).
• I’ll NEVER make an idiot out of myself while trying to entertain my child:)