Hey there!

How have you been?
I am doing my utmost to stay afloat and stay positive. The most difficult thing is keeping the kids busy and entertained while ensuring they are learning at the same time.

Growing up,I remember how my parents always had a United front when it came to discipline and decisions. There was nothing like dad said this,let me go and ask mum if she’ll say that. It was quite frustrating as kids but we didn’t have much choice.

My dad stopped spanking me when I turned 11,instead he would talk to me in the dead of night and make me read bible verses relevant to whatever ‘crime’ I committed and then talk to me like a friend about it. My mum felt he was mollycoddling me. But this was a winning formula.
I was not the most easy going of teenagers. I had temper problems and I was really defiant. This, is story for another time.😊

When Mike and I started having kids,his upbringing was not exactly same with mine,we had discussed our values and the things we would like to imbibe in our kids earlier on in our relationship. However,method of doing this we never really established.

We did however,talk about the things we liked about our upbringing and the things we would like to replicate with our kids as well as those we would like to change.

I think parenting is a journey and one learns as they go along . As a parent,the first mistake to make is to believe you are always right,No! Nobody is always right. If there is one thing I have learnt,it is to accept when I am wrong and apologise to my kids when there is need for it.

Despite all of these,Mike and I don’t always see eye to eye when it comes to discipline. Sometimes,I feel he is too hard on the kids,especially Nicole,my first impulse is usually to jump in,I probably did a couple of times🤭Mike didn’t like it one bit and he said as much.

At first,it was really hard but I remembered how my parents always stood together when it came to discipline,we thought my mum agreed with every disciplinary action my dad took,it was much later when we were older that I discovered this wasn’t always the case.

I learnt to not butt in when he and Nicole had issues. I learnt to talk to him in the privacy of our room and point out to him if I felt he was too hard,we started talking about possible offences and consequences,we also quickly realized our two kids were different temperamentally,so the same thing may not work for them.

The most important lessons we have learnt as parents is that love should always lead the way,correct in love and correct not to prove that you are right. Also,I try to never react or punish when I am angry. Anger has a way of magnifying everything and making it look bigger than it really is.

Parenting is a journey; albeit one that never really ends. Learn and grow as you go along but always let love for your child(ren) lead and help you navigate through your journey.

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