11 Crazy ways I know I'm doing it right!

I have read so many blogs lately titled "10 Things"... to say to your kid, to build your child's confidence, to do instead of yelling, to say I love you to your kids... etc etc etc. I love my kids. I adore them to itty bitty pieces. AND THEY DRIVE ME CRAZY! More people should talk about how their kids make them crazy and how as parents we occasionally, or often, make mistakes. Even in those mistakes our children are loved, adored, happy, confident and feel complete in our family. So for your pleasure, and with pictures included I give you:

11 crazy ways I know I'm DOING IT RIGHT!

1- When they are sick we take care of them. Even when we clean up their blue puke from the ice cream and we dry heave, eyes watering and we hate every second of it. Even when they ask for a wet towel that will likely be shoved behind the couch and mold before we remember it's there.

You're doing it right if you do whatever it takes to make them feel better.

2- I'm doing it right... when I get to the doctor after days of "should we go? Should we go now?" He's been laying around, with a fever, that cough is worse... then we get to the clinic and it's all energy and smiles.  

If your kid goes crazy at the doctor making you look like a liar, YOU ARE DOING IT RIGHT!

 

3- When my boys express themselves in a way that makes them confident and comfortable I'm doing it right. Yep my boys wear cheetah/zebra sleep masks. One of them went through a phase where he wanted to be just like his big sister so he wore only pink rain boots with hearts. Both my boys have gone through a phase where the only thing they wore out of the house to the farmers market and grocery store were old Halloween costumes. I have ran errands with an alligator, pirate, Batman, knight, Spiderman and did I mention alligator? 

You're doing it right if your babies wear some cray cray shiz and you know it's just a phase. 

(Note in the picture below, Little one went through a phase where he wore one motorcycle glove Michael Jackson style)

 

4- You're doing it right if you teach your kids all the best moves. Running man, roger rabbit, raise the roof & clicky heals. Straight up you've been served on South Park style. It's fun. And it embarrasses the hell out of them. Which is even more proof you're doing it right.

 

5- You go to the library and check out the books they want to read. Sometimes it's a book on worms (ask me anything about worms, I can tell you), sometimes it's the same dam book you've read a hundred thousand times (if I have to read "Butter Battle Book" one more time) and sometimes it's a Bieber Fever book. 

Oh... And you always return them late meaning your kids library card generally has a minimum fine amount of $12. 

If you're kid has a constant fine due at the library and they don't even drive, 

YOU'RE DOING IT RIGHT!

 

6-  You're doing it right if Your kids duke it out in public, And now instead of breaking it up, you take pictures first. Because one of them is in his pajamas in public too. And that's my life right there. 

7- You're doing it right when your kid writes out his first two words without asking for help.  

Even though they aren't the words you would choose, who am I kidding I love that he picked "boob" & "poop",  you take a picture and blast it on the social networking site of your choice. 

You do this because "OMG! He did it on his own!" And that in itself is a miracle. 

     

8- You're doing it right if you do whatever it takes to  get your kids on the bus with a smile. Including circus tricks, sweet dance moves, opera singing, gangsta rap & setting up the over sized stuffed animal in the window. It feels creepy and looks creepy but its what worked. This time. 

 

8- You're doing it right if when a skunk invades camp & you make your 16 year old get rid of it so you can snap pics of your sweet little mama's boys after they jumped on the table. 

They thought it was a bear. 

 

9- You're doing it right if you break the rules once in a while. It doesn't seem fair that everyone else gets to ride the water slide just because they can swim. So you wait at the bottom of the slide and sneakily keep the little from drowning at the bottom. 

9- You're doing it right if you've counted out 100 items , countless times for the 100th day of school. And you loathe it. It's exhausting and annoying and you still do it the 5th time around.

 

10- You're doing it right if  countless hours you can never get back 

have been spent at the giant mouse of chaos. 

At some point you realize this means 5 minutes to yourself. And shortly after the 15th meltdown you begin to realize you just spent $50 for a 10 cent prize and a headache. So the 5 minutes is no longer worth it. AND YOU KEEP COMING BACK!

 

11- You're doing it right if you do everything you can to bring them joy. Even though ten minutes after this picture was taken there was screaming, yelling and tears... And that was just from me, the moments of peace and joy is what we live for. Batman, banana boy and their 3 sisters are worth every bit of it. Usually. But that's why most of us parents are getting therapy. 

 

 I promise you you're making mistakes. I also promise, and I've said this before, the thing you think you're doing to screw up your kids is not the thing that's screwing them up. We don't actually know what that thing is until they are in their 20's and lay it all out like a cold hard truth. My mom always thought it was her lack of patience with me as a single mom but it was actually the fact that she made me clean my bathroom . The nerve. You got this moms and dads. YOU GOT THIS!