Birthday Cake? No, Thank You

Earlier this year our youngest granddaughter, JoJo, celebrated her first birthday. I know it sounds cliché, but I honestly can’t believe how quickly the year flew by. It was a busy year, to say the least, but still…

Anyway, John and I SKYPED with them (don’t you just love SYPE?) so we could be somewhat-active participants in the celebration.

After we sang “Happy Birthday”, Essie ‘helped’ her little sister blow the candle; something JoJo showed no interest in whatsoever.  

Oh, well, no big deal. We didn’t want her trying to get the candle, anyway. But the cupcake—that was a different story. Because of her go-get-‘em and curious personality, we were just sure JoJo would dive right in; relishing every crumb and speck of icing. Wrong. She wouldn’t even touch it. Emma even offered her some of the icing, but no—not interested. 

I have to admit I was a little disappointed. Not in JoJo, of course, but disappointed that it didn’t go the way we thought it would. We were looking forward to seeing her ‘get into’ her cake—literally and figuratively. 

I’m sharing JoJo’s cupcake story with you because I want to remind you of how IMPORTANT it is to not let your expectations for your child’s experiences be the driving force behind their actions. In other words, just because our children don’t react or respond to something the way we think they will (or should) doesn’t mean they are wrong or that they’ve done something ‘bad’. Or even worse—that they’ve disappointed us. 

JoJo is adorable, sweet, amazing, and absolutely perfect just the way she is. I wouldn’t change one thing about her for anything in the world, and I will do everything I can to make sure she knows it. 

Will you do the same for your kids? I sure hope so. 

Love,

Momma D

                                        Copyright 2018 Darla Noble. No part of this can be used or copied without permission from the author. 

        The book, "Love, Momma D" is available wherever books are sold.
 Amazon link:  https://www.amazon.com/Love-Momma-Helping-Parents-Parenting/dp/1632133288/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1516497284&sr=8-1&keywords=love+momma+d 

I'm Just Sayin'...If You Really Mean It, Then Do Something About It

If you spend any time at all on Facebook you’ve seen, ‘liked’, and/or shared a post or two along the lines of…

When I was a kid we played hide-n-seek instead of computer games; eating out meant sitting at the picnic table in the back yard; people were upset if we didn’t say the Pledge of Allegiance; parents taught their children to respect teachers and policemen; we knew a bar of soap was for more than taking a bath.

We (because I fall into that 35 and up age group of people sharing these posts) seem to be pretty darn proud and thankful for the simple, happy, and relaxed childhood we enjoyed. We even appear to be proud and thankful for the fact that we were made to mind, taught to be respectful, that we had chores to do, and for the fact that our parents allowed us to pay the consequences for our actions. But are we really?

If we really believe the good ole’ days were better, then why are we raising a generation of kids to do just the opposite?

Why are we raising a generation of kids can’t even stand in a check-out line or take a little road trip without shoving some type of screen in their face to keep them occupied instead of teaching and expecting them to wait patiently and (gasp!) do things that require thinking and imagination to pass the time? 

Why are we raising a generation of kids to believe they should be awarded for their participation instead of teaching them that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose…and that BOTH are just fine?

Why are we raising a generation of kids who see absolutely nothing wrong with ignoring, antagonizing, and disrespecting people in authority because they (the kids) don’t want to obey and feel like they have a right to do whatever they want to? 

Why do we feel we have to change games like Candyland so that a child only has to miss just one turn if they land on an X instead of (another gasp!) having to miss several if they land on a dot and have to stay there until they get the right color? 

I said ‘we’ because I’m trying to be polite. But hey, since I’ve raised my kids, I’m just gonna put it out there and say to parents who are still in the process…you need to stop and think about the fact that no one is wishing they could trade the childhood they had for the kind of childhood today’s kids are experiencing.

Why is that?  I know, do you?

Even more importantly, what are you going to do about it?

Love,
Momma D

                                          Copyright 2018 Darla Noble. No part of this can be used or copied without permission from the author.