Showing posts with label Welcome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Welcome. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to “Climbing Up the Slide”. It’s an idea I’ve had for a long time now. I wanted a place where I could offer my own musings on parenthood, but hopefully where other parents that I know (and maybe some that I don’t!) could offer theirs, too. Many of my friends and acquaintances have very different takes on parenting than I do, and personally, I like to hear about them. Sometimes I shake my head, but sometimes I learn from them.
To me, being a parent is like climbing up the slide at the playground when you’re a kid. It’s more work than going down the slide, but usually a lot more fulfilling if you make it all the way to the top. The other reason I chose this as a name was that so many parents now are afraid to let their kids do things like climb the “wrong” way on the slide, but that was such a big part of being a kid when I was young. It sort of sums up my parenting philosophy: I want my kids to experience life, not be wrapped up in bubble wrap all the time. Yes, they’ll get hurt, but as Dory says in “Finding Nemo” (and how many of us parents quote from Disney movies and shows on a daily basis now? Can I get a “hell, yeah!”) “If nothing ever happens to him, then NOTHING will ever happen to him.”
When you have your first child, it seems like it can’t be THAT hard – after all, a good portion of the human population does it at some point in their lives. There are zillions of books out there that tell you EXACTLY what you need to do, while you’re pregnant, with an infant, with a toddler, a rebellious teenager, so as long as you know what you’re doing it’ll be smooth sailing, right?
WRONG!
I remember coming home from the hospital with my oldest daughter, Emma. It was February of 2001 and I was 24 years old. I put her into the cradle beside our bed, stared at her for a while, and then thought “Oh my God – they actually let me take her out of the hospital! What do I do with her NOW?”
I still feel like that some days, and Emma is 8 years old now. I have two other kids, Charlotte, born in July of 2005 and Andrew, born in August of 2006. In 41 days we will welcome baby #4 – supposedly a boy, but I guess we’ll know for sure in 41 days. Every one of my children is different from the others in their own way, while at the same time being just enough like his/her siblings to confuse me!
Some days I feel like an awesome mom, but other days I feel like I’m drowning. I do some really cool things with my kids, but then I’ll turn around and do something I SWORE I’d never do. I have been known (*AHEM) to raise my voice occasionally. I even give a swat on the butt now and then, despite the fact that, in theory, I don’t believe in it. I always feel a raging sense of guilt whenever that happens.
I guess I wonder what makes us believe that even though human beings are inherently fallible, we should be perfect as parents. My husband and I have sort of become gypsies over the past few years. We’ve moved houses 3 times since June of 2007, which has meant that Emma has been to four different schools in four years of school, and only in her first year of school did she actually finish the year in the school at which she started. You want to talk Mommy Guilt? Try taking your kid out of a school that they’re happy at and having her say, “It’s okay, I’m used to it.” I’m convinced that she’s going to end up in therapy later on, raging about how horrible we were for never letting her stay in one spot. Then again, I’ve had people tell me that she’ll grow up to be really adaptable and comfortable in any setting, which could be a big plus, I suppose. It doesn’t stop the guilt, though.
I’m looking forward to sharing more of my kids with all of you. The site is still “under construction” while I learn more about how Blogger works, so have patience with me! I just really wanted to start getting some content up. I hope that you enjoy what you find here in the coming days! If you’re interested in contributing, please feel free to email me at 8thCyn@climbinguptheslide.com.
To me, being a parent is like climbing up the slide at the playground when you’re a kid. It’s more work than going down the slide, but usually a lot more fulfilling if you make it all the way to the top. The other reason I chose this as a name was that so many parents now are afraid to let their kids do things like climb the “wrong” way on the slide, but that was such a big part of being a kid when I was young. It sort of sums up my parenting philosophy: I want my kids to experience life, not be wrapped up in bubble wrap all the time. Yes, they’ll get hurt, but as Dory says in “Finding Nemo” (and how many of us parents quote from Disney movies and shows on a daily basis now? Can I get a “hell, yeah!”) “If nothing ever happens to him, then NOTHING will ever happen to him.”
When you have your first child, it seems like it can’t be THAT hard – after all, a good portion of the human population does it at some point in their lives. There are zillions of books out there that tell you EXACTLY what you need to do, while you’re pregnant, with an infant, with a toddler, a rebellious teenager, so as long as you know what you’re doing it’ll be smooth sailing, right?
WRONG!
I remember coming home from the hospital with my oldest daughter, Emma. It was February of 2001 and I was 24 years old. I put her into the cradle beside our bed, stared at her for a while, and then thought “Oh my God – they actually let me take her out of the hospital! What do I do with her NOW?”
I still feel like that some days, and Emma is 8 years old now. I have two other kids, Charlotte, born in July of 2005 and Andrew, born in August of 2006. In 41 days we will welcome baby #4 – supposedly a boy, but I guess we’ll know for sure in 41 days. Every one of my children is different from the others in their own way, while at the same time being just enough like his/her siblings to confuse me!
Some days I feel like an awesome mom, but other days I feel like I’m drowning. I do some really cool things with my kids, but then I’ll turn around and do something I SWORE I’d never do. I have been known (*AHEM) to raise my voice occasionally. I even give a swat on the butt now and then, despite the fact that, in theory, I don’t believe in it. I always feel a raging sense of guilt whenever that happens.
I guess I wonder what makes us believe that even though human beings are inherently fallible, we should be perfect as parents. My husband and I have sort of become gypsies over the past few years. We’ve moved houses 3 times since June of 2007, which has meant that Emma has been to four different schools in four years of school, and only in her first year of school did she actually finish the year in the school at which she started. You want to talk Mommy Guilt? Try taking your kid out of a school that they’re happy at and having her say, “It’s okay, I’m used to it.” I’m convinced that she’s going to end up in therapy later on, raging about how horrible we were for never letting her stay in one spot. Then again, I’ve had people tell me that she’ll grow up to be really adaptable and comfortable in any setting, which could be a big plus, I suppose. It doesn’t stop the guilt, though.
I’m looking forward to sharing more of my kids with all of you. The site is still “under construction” while I learn more about how Blogger works, so have patience with me! I just really wanted to start getting some content up. I hope that you enjoy what you find here in the coming days! If you’re interested in contributing, please feel free to email me at 8thCyn@climbinguptheslide.com.
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