Skip to main content

Sometimes Parents Will Fail, And That Is OK

By Unknown
I talk to my kids a lot - a LOT - about taking deep breathes and the need to relax.  I do this mainly when they are frustrated with my wife and I or when one of the other kids take their toys or when, you know, the apple isn't perfectly apple-shaped.  But they also see me doing stretches and Yoga type stuff and taking deep breaths myself.

But sometimes my emotions get the best of me.  I had one of those types of days this week.  One of the days where despite all my adultness, the pressures of life and child-rearing get the best of me.  And sometimes, my adult knowledge will lead me to see things in a different light than you see it.  Sometimes, I'm sad to say, kids, I'm going to fail.

You will fall, as one of you did recently, for no obvious reasons in that funny way that you sometimes do.  It will be a short, soft fall and I'll know you are OK because I saw the fall.  All my training in falls and physics will tell me you are OK.

I'll laugh, and you'll reproach me with tears in your eyes, saying "Daddy, its not funny!"

In my own mind, I'll frame this as a sorta, kinda good thing.  You'll see me fail, and you'll see me apologize for my failures.  And I'll hope that you'll see that I recognized my failure and apologized for it.  Maybe you will take away an important lesson in recognizing and accepting failures and apologizing.

But in reality, I'll be battering myself inside, worried that you are taking all the wrong lessons away from my behavior.  And I'll be disappointed in myself for not realizing how scary that fall might have been to you and sad for not being more empathetic.


Labels:

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 24, 2015 at 8:59 AM

    I totally get this. As parents we do all fail at something, probably almost every day. We will laugh at the most inopportune moment, not know that the mass of scribbling on the paper is your child's story about zoo animals. The list goes on! Luckily children forgive us our misdemeanors quite quickly though :)
    Thanks for linking up again with #MultipleMadness

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownFebruary 24, 2015 at 3:54 PM

    Yep, failing is part and parcel to the job and I don't think we always remember that.

    Thanks for commenting, Katie.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NIGHTMARE: Three Kids; One Invite

By Unknown
Its a triplet parents worst nightmare, really. I only have triplets, so most of what I;m about to say about singletons is conjecture and assumption, but here goes: I imagine that when you have three kids of different ages its easy when only one of them is invited to a birthday party. Any younger child is probably interested in where an older sibling is going, but is easily refocused. Older children probably just don't care what a younger child is doing, but to the extent they are invested, I'd think its easy to explain to them. After all, they are probably in different schools, or at least different grades. They have different teachers, different classmates, and while they may share some friends, those are largely different as well. Not so with triplets When you have three kids all the same age they attend the same  school; often in the same class (as ours do). So when only one of them receives an invite, as our daughter did, its hard not  to feel slighted. After all, ...
6 comments
Read more

Yesterday Was A No Good, Very Bad, Day

By Unknown
Yesterday was a no good, very bad, day. Not just yesterday, the last two or three days, really. I'm not even sure why. I am sure I have not been a good Dad or person these last few days. Maybe I'm not sleeping well - though I think I am. Maybe I'm not happy - though I think I am. Maybe I'm stressed out - though I have no reason to be. Heck, January was the best month for this blog by nearly any measure. The Robes broke up shortly after this show. Our piano player was moody. I've been short with the kids. Little things that  really should  roll off my shoulders have dug claws in me, edging me toward irritation. I've snapped. I've raised my voice. I've been very, very short. To the point my daughter has had to remind me to "take a deep breath, Daddy." A short aside: I'm so, so very proud of her for that. Because it really does defuse the situation; it really takes me out of the moment and allows me to reset. But when your 4-year-old ...
7 comments
Read more

My Kids Believe Some Wild Things

By
First off, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. It is the holiday season, so this is going to be a quick and fun post. If you want something more serious, you can look my struggles with my daughter's self esteem  here , my blah attitude about the death of cursive here , and why I'm a very bad person here . All kids believe in some clearly wild ideas. Santa. The tooth fairy. Heck, some parents believe vaccines cause disease, so its hard to blame the kids. But mine might be taking it to new levels. For instance, my one son will repeatedly tell me how I'm the best Dad he knows. Its sweet. And gosh, its hard to deny. But I'm also pretty much the only Dad he knows. I guess his other point of reference is the Dad from Peppa Pig. Have you seen that guy? He's a half shaven, rotound pig with the manners you might expect of such a guy. Its a bit surprising he isn't usually adorned with a can of beer in his hand and food stains on his clothing. This suddenly sounds li...
9 comments
Read more