Parenting isn't for wimps!

Why don't kids come with user's manuals? I don't even think that would help sometimes...it would be like the manual that comes with this computer - in 6 different languages and none of them are Greek, but it seems that way anyway!

I love my children more than my own life, but lately I seem to think of myself as a failure as a parent more than successful as one. Am I the only mom that feels that way sometimes? Seriously, can I get a witness here?

Most of the time I can say that my two boys are really well behaved...MOST of the time. It's those "some of the times" that can get to you. It's during those times that it is the easiest for me to lose my temper or religion or witness...whatever you want to call it, but any way you look at it shows me as the wimp! How can someone weighing 100 pound less than me get the best of me like that? The answer is, 'because I let him'...that's the sad commentary regarding this matter. I'm older, wiser and more mature, right? Well, sometimes, no I'm not if I'm truly honest with myself.

Have your children ever had a "come apart"? Mine had one a little while ago. I tried to put him in time out after I had told him 'no' to something and he proceeded to throw toys across the room. I then had to pull a "super nanny" on him which I can honestly say that I've never done before. What? You don't know what a super nanny is? That's when she instructs the parent to put the child on the naughty spot (time out) and if he keeps getting out then you continue to pick him up and put him back on there without speaking to him. Do you know how hard that is? Well, Super Mom typing here actually did it. He was screaming the entire time...and this went on for about 30 minutes. Super Nanny suggests that you keep them on the naughty spot one minute for every birthday they've had. In this case that made 2 1/2 minutes. You know...it was the funniest thing what happened during that time. It took him about 90 seconds and he quit screaming and completely calmed down! This Super Nanny knows her stuff I thought to myself. At the end of his time I took him and sat him on my lap and told him why he was put in time out and that I loved him but he wasn't going to do that. I asked him if he understood to say 'yes ma'am'. He did and we hugged and it was over. I couldn't believe it!

Now, I could tell you that I loved every minute of it and that I wasn't frustrated after the 20th time of putting back in time out and that I had the most pleasant look on my face, but that would be about as ridiculous as me not trying that before now after almost 6 years of parenting already under my belt! It worked even though my back is paying for it now from picking him up so many times (that child is thick!), but the point is that I didn't scream or show him my frustration and in the end the results were what I wanted.

If I didn't know it already, I certainly know now that parenting isn't for wimps. My mom and dad didn't raise a wimp though or a quitter for that matter so suck it up and let your kids know you're in it for the long haul! Just think...if I thought that was bad imagine how much fun I'm going to have when they reach their teenage years...oh boy, I need to invest in some knee pads for all the time I'll spend praying!