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Guilty as charged. By the lovely Grace Farris.
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Ha! The kids song one…Still can recall some of those songs and maybe even started listening more to a band called Guster because of their song on a For the Kids CD lol!
I am currently (although not for much longer!!) a SAHM to my 5 and 2 yo and have been feeling so much guilt lately over…everything? when it comes to parenting. Thanks so much for this post + for all of the comments in solidarity. We’re all just doing what we can!
You’re Welcome is a bop
We are sugar cereal fanatics, but I do have one thing I do that makes me feel ok about it.
I mix in a scoop (I use a quarter cup measure, so roughly 2 oz) of oats to the bowl. Adds general “nutrition” but it’s basically masked by the sugar powder on whatever cereal it is. (We are partial to Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Honey Nut Cheerios, the prices on those are unbeatable when on sale at Costco!)
I add toasted almond flakes, chia seeds, and a sprinkle of ground flaxseeds. They don’t even notice. The extra protein and healthy fats keep them going longer.
Grace for the validation win!
When I was three, my mom was at work and my dad wanted to run an errand, so he turned on Saturday morning cartoons, handed me a bowl of Fruity Pebbles and the telephone, and told me not to go anywhere. And wouldn’t you know, my mom called while he was gone lololol
Have you guys seen the show The Parent Test on Hulu? It’s not like high level producing but it’s fun to see expressions of a bunch of different parenting styles! And they have some good conversations. I’m always trying to figure out which one mine is- somewhere between free range and disciplined! We make our kids do chores and be respectful and responsible, but they get so much freedom to choose their free time activities, their food, their clothes, their media and entertainment. I hope it works out haha 🤞🏻
My six-year-old asked if he could have a Fun Dip before school this morning. We were heading out the door and running late as it was so I didn’t have time for an argument / meltdown. I told him he could if he had something healthy first. He happily grabbed a pack of dried seaweed and munched on it on the way to school before busting out the Fun Dip. I mean….breakfast cereal has just as much sugar…right??
My kids eat waffles with Nutella every day.
My kids eat toast with Nutella and *sprinkles* on top nearly every day.
My mom told me last week that she put me on a plane by myself when I was four, and instructed me to tell anyone who asked that I was five (the legal minimum at the time). “You were reading and articulate, so we just told you you were five for the week.” I remember this flight (to visit my aunt and uncle upstate; they picked me up on arrival) and thought it was great; I chatted about my book with the lady next to me and shared my gummi bears. Ah, California in the ’80s.
In the 80s, my parents flew my 7 year old sister and 10 year old self from Colorado to Phoenix to visit my grandma and never bothered to register us as unaccompanied minors. I still remember the flight attendant’s face at the end of the flight once she realized we didn’t have parents on board. So we deplaned assuring her our Grandma was meeting us at the gate, a likely story pre-2001….except our Grandma wasn’t there, being notoriously late for everything. No cell phones but thank heavens for collect calls, where I was able to each my mom, who found my Grandma still at home. It’s a wonder more things didn’t go wrong back then….
Love this….I feel seen as well. Thank you for this wonderful space Joanna <3
I confess to stealing my kids’ fruit snacks on occasion, those things are delicious!
Um, I eat them every night as a “treat” while editing (my freelance business). The “Cherries and Berries” flavor is so good! My five-year-old told me a few days ago, “When I get up before you I go straight to your desk and crawl around under it looking for treats because there are always fruit snacks on the floor under there!” 😬😳
The sock thing seems like slightly less of a big deal if they’re wool socks!
Curious George, Peppa Pig, and Arthur <3
YES, YES, YES, and YES! <3 I see you, Grace!
This goes the other ways too! My kid knows lyrics to way too many not so kid friendly songs because that’s what what mom plays on radio ! (Thank god for Radio edits though )
Yes 😬 my 8yo knows who Missy Elliott is!
Like all of Grace’s work, this is adorable and funny and DEEPLY validating. <3
Love these! Confession/warning: I once agreed that my toddler could leave her post-vaccination band-aid on until it fell off on its own. The nurse completely missed covering the tiny injection site with the band-aid but no big deal. However, that unnecessary band-aid held on for two weeks, through multiple baths, and when finally peeled off revealed an open sore. Caused by the band-aid! The irony!
LOL!
Omg I have actually started requesting that they NOT put bandaids on my kids post vaccine because our doctor’s office has the stickiest bandaids ever! Getting them off is more of an ordeal than the shot, and we have definitely also had ones stay on for weeks!
@Cate You can bring your own to the doctor. I used to do that more because no one wants a brown band aid (no one under age 5 anyway)
Who knew! My son is currently wearing a three and a half month old entrance wrist band to a jump park, waiting to see how long it will last before it disenegrates to nothing. At least not tight so no sores (although may be germ infested).
@kylee Nobody over age 5 either. I don’t bring my own Band-Aids for shots, but I 100% buy fun Band-Aids for my own use.
Also, I totally watch Bluey by myself.
Bluey transcends the kid category. So so so good. May I be as patient and fun as Chili (and adopt her self care routines!).
I sometimes let my daughter Ella watch more Bluey so I, can watch more Bluey.
But doesn’t the Bluey dad make you feel parental guilt? That guy stops what he’s doing every time the kids ask him to. He’s perfectly playful and a master at teaching a lesson. We kept our Bluey phase short over here 😆
Me tooo!! The parents in Bluey are amazing.
ME TOO
Yes, Karen! Bandit & Chilli always seem to give into the girls’ every request, which is unrealistic (in a kid show? That’s never happened before! Haha). My husband doesn’t like the show because he thinks they’re too permissive with the kids.
Prime music has the Bluey music which is actually really great!
I don’t even have kids and I watch Bluey every morning while eating breakfast. Bingo’s happy, wondrous view of the world makes me smile.
There are some days when I come to an arrangement with my little darlings – they’re allowed to watch as many Bluey eps as they like as long as they massage my feet at the same time! If they get distracted or forget the massage part, the pause button goes on as a gentle reminder. Win win – everyone’s happy – I love Bluey too.
Sallianne, you have really figured out this parenting thing! #parentgoals
If my kids anticipate a “no” to the screentime request they ALWAYS propose Bluey. Natural negotiators!
It’s not just me?!?!?! Sweet relief!!
“You’re Welcome” is a bop, there’s no denying it.
YES. When my son was about 3, he only ever wanted to watch Moana (we’d watch it in chunks) but he had a fit if my husband or I wanted to sing along. One night we were doing dishes, and we decided just to put the soundtrack on ourselves so we could sing along as much as we wanted.
‘You’re Welcome” is an objectively fantastic song ;)
Whatever year Moana came out it was definitely on top of our Spotify year wrap and our son was definitely like not old enough to be watching Moana or care; we just liked to dance around to it ourselves. “You can find happiness right where you are”?! Come on Lin! I needed that reminder staying at home w a baby.
Hahaha! So cute & relatable!
Confession #1 – I forget to brush by kid’s teeth on a regular basis.
Confession #2 – We used cry-it-out and still use timeouts! (Don’t say that in a Facebook moms group!!)
Hahaha love this and same to both. And (gasp!) consequences!!
didIwritethisinmysleep (I feel less alone and bad-mom-y)
Well that was like a breath of fresh air!
Same!
We are living in a construction zone currently with two super sick kids in the middle of a cold snap. I just looked over and our white dog was laying in a pile of sawdust in the kitchen. We will be watching TV alllllllll day long. Mama Llama is your mama now, kids.
I just laughed out loud at “Mama Llama is your mama now, kids” :)
Same! Our cold snap is probably less severe, but it’s wet. I can’t use my kitchen, and I’m still in my sweats that have a hole in the exact wrong spot. I just want TV all night long.
Ms. Rachel is my co-parent.
Yes to Ms. Rachel! She is amazing! A regular in my home.
This is what I text messaged my husband the other day: https://www.instagram.com/p/Co-e0-3S9hP/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
I feel SEEN. Swap out socks with not bathing for many days, and the music with Bluey. So me. Lol.
Teacher confession: one time I put a kid in the quiet corner to reset and forgot him for fifteen minutes.
lololol also guilty of forgetting about kids in the safe space
This made me laugh out loud! Seems SO easy to do :)
Lol this made me think of this https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cm_xMjwBbMI/?igshid=MDJmNzVkMjY=
Omg I did this to my own kid when she was 3. I promptly then forgot about her because I was so occupied with all the stuff I was getting done. When I remembered, 20 min later, I felt so bad and mentally prepared all the apologies and for her to be teary. When I got to her she gave me a huge beam and loudly announced, “That was FUN!”
My friends mom did this to us once — she sent us to timeout for something and we ended up having a great time chatting for at least an hour. Then we came back, she asked us where we had been and totally forgot we had been sent off! No harm no foul :)
Reminds me of a story my dad used to tell me: When he was in 2nd grade at a Catholic school, a nun locked him in a closet for misbehaving and forgot about him. He was there past school hours until his mom came looking for him!
Sometimes I watch Bluey by myself
Disney soundtracks always and forever.
+1. Yes! I was coming to say, “I can name that tune!”
Haha me too and it’s also a fave. Playing in my head now!
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