When we have a baby, we automatically accept that we will have to teach this little glob of a baby, to eat, to go to the toilet, to speak and to behave. Mostly though, we expect that teaching the basics will be done once they are into school, and they will be on their way to education bliss, taught by someone else.
But ….. the lessons never end.  Adolescence throws up some lovely challenges.
Its not bribery ……… its rewards based negotiation.
Parenting is all about second guessing yourself, and often your choices are just stabs in the dark, with the hope that it works out well. If there was something I feel proud of, its my daughter and her body image.
Why can’t I be an only child?
and single?
with no kids?
and not prone to silly impulse actions?
Sweet hormone heaven, how I have missed you.
Yep … not allowed. I am not sure what happens if I do. Will the world fold in on itself? Will reality cease to exist? or will my husband get a bit cranky with me? Yeah, probably that.
Going on from my comments about Vanessa’s blog yesterday (and my eccentric little sideways take on the nature of blogs), reading through the comments on her topic about fashion rules, I came across this little gem about prettiness. I was so impressed with A Dress a Day’s take on how we should own our own pretty, and how in the end its not for others but ourselves. This blog world I have found, is doing wonders for me, because its teaching me to be happy within my skin. I am not there 100% yet, but I am on my way.
This is inspired by a topic on a friend’s site. The vivacious Vanessa has a style blog called Big Girl, Small Budget. She is a beautiful girl (I reserve the right to refer to her as a girl, she’s younger than me …. so there), with a wonderful sense of style. By all counts she is a lot more out there and daring than I am, but I find her an inspiration. Now some visitor to her blog, chose to place a negative comment in her blog, berating her for her choice, as she is apparently “showing unflattering parts of her body”. Now, being a sort of rubber band christian, I am a big believer in the whole “made by and loved by god” and so therefore to me all parts of the body are beautiful, and I found this comment offensive.
I have been told many times, that my parenting techniques are archaic and outdated …. and I am certainly feeling that society is moving beyond me. But there is a new, emerging aspect within accepted parenting that is frustrating and saddening. And that is the normalisation of bad parenting …. both in society and now in the media.
I have rearranged my sewing room, to create more space, and change the position of my overlocker, that was causing my big sewing desk to vibrate badly, and generally making the space uncomfortable to work in. Replacing a large desk with a smaller one, placing my computer on the large sewing desk, and the overlocker on a smaller student desk by itself, along with a slightly better layout …. has meant that the space is more inviting for me.
