Smacking children…a parent’s right, or not?

I have written this blog post a million times over for months on end. It has been sitting in my drafts being reworked and reworded over and over again. I do not want to sound condescending or righteous but I do want to open a discussion about this. It is an important conversation to have. I’m not sure I’ve even got it right in this post. I WANT it to be better. But it seems that, when it comes to this topic, this is really the best I can do.

Smacking kids has probably been happening since the dawn of time. Kid misbehaves, give it a little whack. Is that OK? I find myself asking this question more and more now that I’m a mum.

If this is having it all then it blows.

This week has been nothing short of batshit crazy.  In preparation for a prenancy/baby/children’s expo next weekend I have been working overtime to get things done with the new business so that they are up to scratch and ready. I have easily worked a standard full time week and I’ve done it in between looking after a sick child at home for 2 days and the standard weekly crap in our always busy schedule.

Is it right for us to force gender stereotypes onto our children?

Recently I had an interesting conversation with my brother and his wife about a little boy and a dress.  This little boy was the son of friends of theirs and apparently he loooooves dresses. So wonderful parents bought him a dress and all was good with the world.

Then, the little boy grew out of his dress and he really wanted another one. He loved that dress so hard he just didn’t want to imagine life without it. So in the end his, parents, being awesome, bought him another dress. Then they posted a photo of him, in said dress, on Facey and gave a little run down of the story. 

Two more deaths this week

Taken from ACCC safety guide + article on Essential Baby

Quite a few months ago now I blogged about why the position of your child’s cot is important. Namely it’s blind cords that are the issue. They kill. And far too frequently.

In this last week in Australia, two more infants have died because they have strangled themselves with the cord while in their cot. Kiddies don’t see cords as dangerous. They look fun. They can hang from them and maybe turn upside down. Fun stuff like that. Fun stuff that will strangle them. And you won’t necessarily hear them die.

I’m sorry if this sounds like a really harsh blunt way to put it but it is a really harsh blunt thingand we need to be clear about this to everyone.

No beds near cords.

Period. The end. No further discussion.

While they are a danger at any young age (apparently there have been deaths up to 10 years of age) this seems to be a particular issue with those just over 1 year of age. Maybe it is because they are getting more inquisitive then. They don’t want to sleep, they can stand up in the cot, they can often walk and they are really getting into play. BUT they also have a serious lack of understanding about the world around them and no real idea yet about consequences. They don’t see a cord and wonder if it will hurt them as mostly, the world hasn’t hurt them yet (thankfully) so they have no real world knowledge and experience to apply to this situation. Or even the ability to do that even if they did. Their little brains are still growing.

So you need to help them.

And get that motherfucking bed away from the blinds. And observe them when they are playing near blinds. Teach them about the dangers and beware of the hazards.

For those with older style vertical blinds in their home, you can remove the chains along the bottom and the blinds will work fine.

Some other mums left some great ideas on my original post for keeping cords safe. There are all sorts of ways around it out there so pop on over and have a look.

Now let’s create some more awareness about this and see if we can’t save a few lives.

The #proudmummymomentproject

I’m birthing a project. Huzzah!

Now before you skedaddle off out the door because you think it’s all mushiness and gooey proud mummy stuff, let me fill you in.

I will admit, yes, there is some of that. The mushy, skyting stuff because let’s face it, it happens and it makes us happy and our eyes fill with tears. Heartwarming. Beautiful. Great. It’s fun to share this stuff.

But there are other not so show offy things that go on in my life that I’d also consider a proud mummy moment.

Like:

Top 5 reasons not to let your toddler sleep until 5pm

Who needs sleep?

1. He will want to stay up until 11pm even though he yawns incessantly.

2. He will want to stay up until 11pm even though he says “I’m tired, Mummy”. 

Reality. She’s a real know it all biatch don’t ya think?

Today I am owning it.

So while I was tap tap tapping away, writing my Tuesday post about how I’m not a super single mum, good old Reality was gleefully rubbing her hands together in a Rumplestiltskinesque way and preparing me a nice warm dish of How do you like them apples baby?.

Yummmm.

“Stewed” I said. “Nice and stewed”.

“My favourite”.

And she took me seriously. 

Is single parenting really THAT different?

See how this says “mother”? It’s because it is the same for all mothers, single or otherwise

When I first started this blog, clearly, with a title like “mummyflyingsolo” I intended to write quite a bit about life as a single parent. I was pretty new to the team at that stage and figured I’d have plenty of fodder at the ready that could help other single parents too.

But here’s the thing. After doing this gig for about 2 years now I have learnt one thing and one thing only: parenting is parenting. It doesn’t matter who you do it with. It’s relentless and hard and you will have good days and bad. Just like all parents do.

I know parents in relationship that have a tougher time than I do.

I know other single parents that do it much tougher than me.

And we are all on the same journey: it’s called PARENTING.

That’s it.

Dropping the bedtime bottle at 2 years old

My original plan had been “no bottles after 1” but Monkey enjoyed that bedtime one so much I simply didn’t have the heart to take it away from him.

I tried on occasion but it was always a half hearted attempt and if there was any protest at all I’d buckle and give it straight back.

The older he got the more I regretted my lackadaisical attitude to the whole thing.  He was super attached to the routine

Yes, I lie to my child. And not just about Santa.

How's this for some Christmas spirit? (not my house btw)

‘Tis the season to be jolly. And deceitful apparently. Some people get really worked up about this whole Santa lie thing. Which I honestly didn’t even know was a thing until this year.  It’s not my thing but it gets quite a bit of airplay in the world that is parenting.

Personally,  I don’t buy into all that crap. Sure, Santa is a lie but so what?