Most of us thought it would be easier!
May and June are months with holidays specifically designated to celebrate both Mothers and Fathers. Those of us who are parents have just one thought in mind. What are you getting us? I kid, but really, what are you getting us? It better be something good that we can use because I swear this job is a lot harder than most of us ever imagined. I say job, because that’s what parenting is, a job. To be a good parent you’re on 24/7, 365. An abbreviated job description would undoubtedly read something like this: a qualified applicant should expect a demanding schedule with long hours, no pay and temperamental cliental. Applicant must have their own transportation, a positive attitude and endless supply of disposable cash and snacks. Patience, a sense of humor and lack of personal interests are necessary for advancement. Continuing Education will not be provided.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my parenting job! It can be exciting, rewarding, fulfilling, amazing, humorous and utterly magical. It can also be exhausting, challenging, aggravating, emotional, exasperating and thankless. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I need a raise.
Patience is the toughest trait to maintain when you’re getting pulled three, sometimes four different directions. Julie Remy, mother of three kids
My friends and I all agree that we thought parenting would be easier probably because our parents made it look so easy. The fed us, clothed us, yelled at us and then pretty much left us alone. Somehow we turned out OK. Is it just me (and I’m equally guilty) or do parents today seem overly involved in every aspect of our children’s lives? We coach youth sports, we volunteer at school, we help with homework, we manage School Loop, we schedule play dates and we help sell cookies, magazines, wrapping paper and discount coupon books. We also drive, drive, drive so they can participate in every type of activity imaginable. Let’s face it; we are aware of our kid’s movements every hour of every day. What happened to the good old days when you’re mom yelled “Be home before dark” as you raced out of the house in the morning?
My parents attended most of my games when I was young, but they never came to a practice and usually it was up to me to get there on my own. I find that like a lot of other parents, I’m either the coach or I end up watching my kid’s sports practices. It might be because if I drive it doesn’t make sense to drive home and back again, but it might also be that I like to observe the coaching and the effort my child is or isn’t putting out. – Zack Haller, father of three
When you have little kids, there’s no down time. They want your constant attention from the minute they wake you up until they go to sleep. I’m exhausted! – Jason Allen, Father of two
Managing phases seems to be a big part of every parent’s job. From infant to young adult, from toddler to teenager, you are kidding yourself if you think any specific age or phase will be easier than the rest. They’ll all hard. Phases in behavior, emotional phases, eating phases and phases in virtually every other element of their lives are part of growing up. The question is how long will each phase last? Whether its bed wetting or biting, crying or cursing, most everything kids go through is just a development phase and our job as parents is to help them to navigate through the rough waters. Is phase manager an actual job title?
You can’t be afraid to be the hard ass when they use the argument that everyone is doing it or everyone has one. – Dave Bruzzone, father of three
Logistics coordinator is a vastly underrated skill in every parent’s job of multitasking. It used to be that kids were expected to entertain themselves for hours at a time. In today’s world, our children’s extracurricular activities are a time suck for parents. On one hand, it’s wonderful that we are more involved in our kid’s lives, but at what cost? We’re so busy shuttling the little ones around that we’re all likely less productive at work and home.
I have every intention of playing games with the kids after school, but when things start getting crazy and they have practices to get to, homework to be done and I need to put dinner together it’s kind of hard to be fun/cool mom. – Nicole Ormsby, Mother of three
The kids of today rarely accept “no” for an answer. It wasn’t that long ago that the term “Because I said so” was all a parent needed to say to end the discussion at hand. Kids are learning to be expert negotiators, talented salesmen and master manipulators which means that the arrows in every parents quiver need to be sharper. Archer isn’t really a job, but transaction coordinator is a fitting description.
Everything is a negotiation. When I was a kid, my parent’s word was law. We didn’t question it. My kids believe every parental decision is up for discussion. I think a lot of parents give in as the path of least resistance which makes it hard on the rest of us. – Sabrina Hughes, mother of three
We could be grooming an impressive generation of debaters, except that they only use verbal skills at home with their parents. Every other communication, with the exception of a teacher or two, is done through Text, Twitter, Snap Chat or Instagram. I surprised my daughters don’t have thumbs the size of corn dogs. – Dino Mancinelli, father of four
As parents, there’s so much more to worry about today than when we were kids. Bums and hobos were harmless inebriated scallywags, not the potentially dangerous mentally ill homeless people living on the streets today. In the late 1960s/early 1970s, boys were occasionally involved in a harmless fist fight, but drive-by shootings are an everyday occurrence in today’s more violent neighborhoods. Alcohol and pot have always been a concern to parents of teenagers, but drugs such as Oxy, X and meth are horribly frightening.
While pedophiles obviously existed (mostly posing as parish priests), they weren’t trolling the internet and coaching youth sports teams like so many do now. Finally, our culture’s passion for mobile technology opens up a whole other world of potential threats including sexting, bullying and stalking. Our parenting job has evolved to include elements of policeman, probation officer, cyber hacker and medium.
Saying NO, when your kid can’t comprehend all the reasons behind the NO is a challenge. Getting them to trust that you know best is also a challenge. – Chris McConico, father of one
Thanks to the parents of the previous generation, who through no fault of their own were often detached and/or clueless, we got away with some crazy (and at times dangerous) things as kids. Our parents trusted that we had enough common sense to be okay and make good decisions. What a mistake in judgment that turned out to be.
Has knowing what we got away with in our youth made our generation a group of hyper-aware parents keeping an eye on our children’s every move and limiting their freedom? Yes, we can tract our kid’s every move through a cell phone GPS ap, but should we? At times I feel like a member of the Homeland Security detail and the home is mine.
When my oldest daughter was in middle school she reminded me that I often used the term, we learn from our mistakes, however I wasn’t giving her enough freedom to make mistakes. – Cindy Silva, Mother of two daughters
Yes, the parent job is a hard one, but like most parents, I wouldn’t trade the experiences I’ve shared with my children for anything in the world. I would instantly apply again given the opportunity. Maybe we simply need to relinquish a few of our job subtitles and trust that the Mom/Dad job we’re doing is enough. Can we all agree to just chill-ax this Mothers/Fathers Day and hope we get a good job review from the bosses. #giftcards.
1. My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE.
“If you’re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning.”
2. My mother taught me RELIGION.
“You’d better pray that stain comes out of the carpet.”
3. My father taught me about TIME TRAVEL.
“If you don’t straighten up, I’m going to knock you into the middle of next week!”
4. My father taught me LOGIC.
” Because I said so, that’s why.”
5. My mother taught me MORE LOGIC .
“If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you’re not going to the store with me.”
6. My mother taught me FORESIGHT.
“Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you’re in an accident.”
7. My father taught me IRONY.
“Keep crying, and I’ll give you something to cry about.”
8. My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS.
“Shut your mouth and eat your supper.”
9. My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM.
“Will you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!”
10. My mother taught me about STAMINA.
“You’ll sit there until all that spinach is gone.”
11. My mother taught me about WEATHER.
“This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it.”
12. My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY.
“If I told you once, I’ve told you a million times. Don’t exaggerate!”
13. My father taught me the CIRCLE OF LIFE. (Bill Cosby taught us this)
“I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”
14. My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION.
“Stop acting like your father!”
15. My mother taught me about ENVY.
“There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don’t have wonderful parents like you do.”
16. My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION.
“Just wait until your father gets home!”
17. My mother taught me about RECEIVING.
“You are going to get it from your father when you get home!”
18. My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE.
“If you don’t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way.”
19. My mother taught me ESP.
“Put your sweater on; don’t you think I know when you are cold?”
20. My father taught me HUMOR.
“When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don’t come running to me.”
21. My mother taught me HOW TO BECOME AN ADULT.
“If you don’t eat your vegetables, you’ll never grow up.”
22. My mother taught me GENETICS.
“You’re just like your father.”
23. My mother taught me about my ROOTS.
“Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?”
24. My mother taught me WISDOM.
“When you get to be my age, you’ll understand.
25. My father taught me about JUSTICE.
“One day you’ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!”
Leave a Reply