Sometimes my kids drive me so crazy, I actually feel like a bonafide lunatic. That’s the reality of having 2 small and 1 medium boys (they have recategorized themselves). There are a lot of ‘I would never’s’ that I’ve had to eat in the past seven years. It is so easy to be a good parent when you don’t have any children. I was such a good parent 8 years ago.
Then my kids were born.
Here’s my current ‘eaten’ list.
1. I will never allow my kids to snack while I am cooking them dinner. (Sometimes feeding them just makes them quiet enough for me to finish my thoughts.)
2. I will never allow my kids to use an electronic device during a service. (I made it all the way to Michael’s graduation last week on this one. But I hastily threw their iPods at them so I could actually soak in the moment! And I confess, it was Angry Birds. Is it really any different than playing tic tac toe??? Is it?)
3. I will never snap at my children. (I have learned the value of asking for forgiveness from my kids. Sometimes, they even use my techniques on me when I am about to snap. Because they have used the freezer handle as a gymnastics bar for the 387th time or tracked leaves and snail slime on a freshly mopped floor (this is only a big deal because I mop soooooo rarely….) ‘Mom, are you frustrated? Mom, why don’t you take a deep breath? Mom, maybe you need some rest.’)
4. I will never forget anything really important regarding my children. (see here)
5. I will never let my kids run inside. (That is dumb. I gave it up as soon as they could run.)
I use the phrase ‘I never’ a lot less now. I use the phrase, ‘I hope’ frequently. The next time you see a mom doing something that you would ‘never’ do, give her a break. She probably would never do it either. It’s just that she’s really tired, she’s had a really long day, and probably needs to pee. Instead, pray for her. Or walk beside her. Or watch her kids while she goes to the bathroom.
You never know when you might need the very same support.
#thegoldenrule
coatsquotes 
I never had ADD my whole life… until I had kids. Now I can’t complete a single thought without interruption 🙂 it’s refreshing to hear someone with the same thoughts. Love the blog!
Jodi Ploss-Briscoe
I always said “I will never let my kids act like that in public”.. until my two year old had a total meltdown in Publix and my cart was full, we were in the check out, and my 7 year old who is completely ADD was turning in circles around me. I felt helpless. The old me, before kids, would have given the mother a dirty look and said.. “I’ll never let my kids act like that.” This worn out version of me just wanted to get to the car. A woman in front of me said,” Don’t bring that kid near me!”. I was so taken aback that I didn’t know what to say…actually I did but God wouldn’t let me. So I started to cry… sob.. heaving.. I said”You must not have children.” She said, Yes I did and they never acted like that. She continued to spew hateful remarks toward me AND my children. The clerk and the baggers were so helpful, but the woman who helped me the most was the lady behind me who said “Honey, why you crying? Take that baby out and hold him and I’ll unload your groceries. It will all be ok.” She was a saint to me at that moment. So now I have a new “i’ll never”.. I’ll never stand back and watch a mother suffer when I can step up and help her. I won’t be part of the problem, I’ll be her answer.
Oh, that’s horrible! We make quite a scene at the grocery as well. I thought it would get better as they got older…but it’s worse. They used to be confined, and now they aren’t!! Love that God put the other woman behind you!! What a lesson! Thanks for sharing!