To blog or not to blog...that is the question

If the answer exists definitively it would have to be "to blave...", I mean "to blog", in my halting, periodic, irregular way. This blog is about parenting and about life and love and generally just whatever I feel like. Saying that, I'm going to do a bunch of posts on parenting. Not sure what they will consist of yet...but be assured they will be fabulous.

I don't know if I am the only mom who has read parenting books where they delineate how your child "should" behave but don't follow up with "this is how you get your child to behave" .  A child should wait patiently for your attention when in public, a child should ask to be excused from the table. a child should gladly share toys with younger children and give preference to older people. A child should eat vegetables and not come out of their room in the morning until 7. A child should refrain from being obnoxious in public. A child should not talk back, or argue.... and about 300 other "shoulds" both viable and ridiculous.

 "But how?"

 I have questioned the innocent paper on more than one occasion while shaking the book in a paroxysm of frustration. They all make it sound so cut and dry, so easy peasy.

 Well, based on my experience with four amazing, unique personalities in the journey I started over 8 years ago, I have some words to say. They may be helpful to you or just humorous, or maybe a bit of both.

 If I have been inconsistent lately in an internet presence I have been endeavoring to be very consistent in my home presence. My mental, emotional and physical pursuits have been focused on  my present purpose. I have been doing the mom thing with a vengeance. My cape is starched, my hair is flying and I have been working on a more graceful variation of a crash landing. This is real life people and we have to be on our game, we have to be "present".

So my word for tonight on parenting is this:
You can read the play book repeatedly but you have to have a minute knowledge of your individual players, a realization of their strengths, an awareness of their propensities, their personality, their individuality, their soul, in order to place them advantageously.
I hate the box kids get placed in, the labels they so often amass (believe me, I have a son who would be given five or six of these).  I had these little beauties and now I am called to parent them, to train them, discipline them, protect them and to love them. So watch, listen, observe, evaluate and do it all with an expression of love in your eyes and with the frequent words on your tongue "you are just so amazing to me".

Real moments, real imperfections, real life adventure.