Give Me a Break!

Last week I hit my kid in the face with a shovel.  You might have noticed the scab on his cheek in previous pictures.  I was using the shovel to catapult balls across the yard and misjudged the distance hitting JAC in the face.  He cried and cried.  I of course felt guilty.  Today I sat down for lunch and my dog kept pestering me.  She desperately wanted a bite of soup and I was instantly annoyed.  I pushed her away assuming she was just ignoring her dog food and hoping for people food.  Later I realized I put her food dish in the washer yesterday.  I have been starving my dog for almost two days.  Please submit me for mother of the year!

Parenting is the most guilt inducing thing I have ever attempted.  In the course of a week you can make so many mistakes that it leaves your head spinning and your heart hurting.  If you dwell too heavily on these mistakes you'll render yourself "combat ineffective" - completely unable to accomplish your mission due to heavy waves of self doubt.

I try to encourage my mom friends to, " give themselves a break".  I know I have made many mistakes.  I dread the day when JAC is an adult and he recalls them.  Today I'm giving myself a break.  Here are a few parenting decisions that I'm really proud of making.

1.  We spend a lot of time outdoors.  I love nature and fresh air.  I think most humans were designed to enjoy the great outdoors.  I love sharing my favorite outdoor activities with JAC.  I hope he embraces hiking, kayaking, running and camping as life long hobbies.  JAC marvels in rocks, trees and animals.  He begs to go outside and loves to dig in the dirt.  I hope he never loses this passion.

2. Nap time is not negotiable.  When JAC was about nine months old I started putting him on a regular nap schedule.  Every day he rests for a few hours and I get to spend time working on my favorite hobbies or getting caught up on house work.  These few hours are great for my sanity.

3. I am not a short order cook.  I don't make special kid friendly meals.  I make nutritious meals for our family.  If JAC doesn't like them he can hope for better fare at breakfast and go to bed hungry.  Life's too short to waste the mental energy required to be a picky eater.

4. We have surrounded our son with great people.  JAC's life is filled with people I love and admire.  I have old work colleagues who stop by, church friends, neighborhood friends and wonderful family.  I respect these people and want JAC to learn from them.  This group will help broaden JAC's experiences and world view. They have also been instrumental in maintaining my personal sanity.  They have loved, encouraged and supported us.  They have even provided some free babysitting when I really needed it.  We are overwhelmingly thankful for every one of them.

It's the weekend!  I hope everyone is taking a moment to slow down and give themselves a break.  What is the best decision parenting or otherwise you've made lately?