Things I Would Never Do.....

Before I became a mom, when I was "just a teacher", I had many different thoughts and views about what I would do as a parent. How I would behave , what I would do when I was a parent, because obviously I would be able to "do it right". Looking back on those days, I can honestly say to myself I must have been completely delusional. Because then I had my son, P-Dog. He's four now, and I have to be on my toes everyday with him.

With him I experienced the joys of post-partum depression, which I was sure I would NEVER struggle with, colic, gas; and then as he got older, biting. That was when I really ate my humble pie; which I will address at a later date. My point here is that everything that I thought I would do was basically thrown out the window once I had this little creature enter my life. And one would think I learned my lesson with "knowing", but of course I didn't. I got pregnant with my second and we thought we had it down. The second would be SO much easier because we "had already been through this. Oh, how wrong we were. Enter my daughter, Boe-Boe.

How different can two kids be? Well, as a teacher you would think I would know this, right? WRONG! Its one thing in a classroom. But when they are both in your house it just throws everything topsy turvy in ways I never imagined. Either way, life in our house is always crazy, but I still love it.

How does this relate to my life as a teacher you may be wondering? First, I have a totally different take on the conference thing. Before I had kids I had this idea that things always had to be positive. Now that I'm a parent myself I look at it a from a different perspective. Do I still think there needs to be positive-yes, of course. However, I think I am more to the point. I am less likely to sugar coat. Why? Because as a parent I want to hear the honest truth from my kids' teachers. Sugar coating won't help make the situation any better. Again, more on this later.

Second, I now understand why parents get defensive when their kids do something "wrong" or if there may me something "wrong" with their child. This is a hard thing to face and you can't help but to feel that it could be "your fault". Ie-having a kid that bites! But again, being on both sides of this issue-as a mom and a teacher, I have a unique perspective on this. Some things ARE our fault as parents, others are not. The trick is figuring out which is which and dealing with it appropriately.

I know this seems a bit general, but as my first blog entry, just want to get myself going in the right direction.

So things I thought I would never do...I thought I would never have a child who bites or blame myself if I did. I would NEVER get depressed after having a baby. I would never get defensive about my children. I would never have a child who has a tantrum in public. I would never be nervous about a parent teacher conference. I would never let my kids sleep in my bed. I would never breastfeed past one year of age. Oh god-I could go on and on and on....Aren't we all perfect in our 20s?

In my future blogs I will address these issues and personal experiences as both a mom and a teacher that have been learning expereinces for me and maybe will become learning experiences for other moms out there.