As we were getting ready to leave, I asked my children to help clean up. Graciously, our hosts insisted that we should not worry about it (which is exactly what I do when we have visitors). Trying to be good guests and help teach our kids how to ‘do unto others’ we asked them to each clean up 3 toys. This got me to thinking about what other lessons I try to teach my kids at home that we seem to ‘forget’ when out:
· Meals out are not nearly as healthy, nor do we push them as hard to finish their food before getting dessert (in fact, sometimes they get dessert without eating their dinner just to keep them quite!).
· We talk a lot about sharing in our house but when we are in someone else’s house and the child who lives there wants a particular toy that my kids are using, I ask them to give it back.
· We limit the amount of time watching television when at home, but when we are on vacation or on an extended stay at someone else’s house, we encourage them to ‘go downstairs and watch tv’ just to keep them quiet and ‘well-behaved’.
I’m pretty sure that just because I’ve had this revelation, I’m not going to start changing the way I do things when we’re out (although, I have been known to put a misbehaving kid in a running car for a few minutes as a ‘time-out’ while out to eat). I’m just hoping that this inconsistency in child-rearing will not be the thing that keeps my kids from getting into the best schools so they can get the best jobs and then take care of their mom in her old age (in like 4 years from now).
Lessons I learned today:
· I’m never going to get everything on my to-do list done, I might as well stop freaking out about it.
· Kids still want their friends to come over and play even though when everyone has gone, they get left doing all the clean-up.
· I’m proud of my kids, no matter how many toys they pick up.
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