Co-Parenting Matters This Week: Happy Parents…Happy Kids!
“…I accept full responsibility for my life and my choices — I sing no victim songs.
I willfully participate in the world using my voice to empower myself and others.”
Yvonne Bynoe, founder Sophisticated Woman and Mama
Okay, if ever there was a credo to live by, Yvonne Bynoe’s is it. The above is an excerpt from Yvonne’s credo, the guiding principle for her life and for the lives that she helps other women realize for themselves.
Yvonne, an author and a mom, founded Sophisticated Woman and Mama to “to assist Gen-X working mothers who want to end their work/life struggle. Instead of trying to balance their various roles I encourage them to first define their beliefs and values. This step helps working women to make decisions that are aligned with their individual versions of professional and family success. My philosophy is that women who continue to develop themselves bring more clarity to their roles as mothers, partners and professionals.”
We are so excited to have Yvonne join us on the Sunday, February 14th* “Co-Parenting Matters” show, “Happy Parents, Happy Kids.” On the show, we’ll talk about the importance of all co-parents healing and empowering themselves in the wake of a break up, and in particular, Yvonne will discuss her mission to“revolutionize motherhood” so that all women have “the courage to create a life and a motherhood experience that they passionately love.”
As always, “Co-Parenting Matters” airs 9:30 – 11 PM EST on BlogTalk Radio.
On the show, we’ll announce the winners of a special offer that Yvonne is making available to CoParenting101.org and WeParent.com readers! One winner from each site will win a COMPLIMENTARY Working Moms Startup Coaching Session with Yvonne. The session will include:
- The “Where Are You” Questions
- a meaningful inquiry into your life and aspirations. - A thirty-minute laser coaching discussion
In your session with Yvonne, you can:
- Chart a course to accomplishing a specific goal
- Design the framework for your ideal life – maximizing the things that bring you joy and fulfillment and reducing the draining “shoulds.”
- Create strategies to overcome limiting beliefs.
Yvonne will help you see what’s possible – and laser in on the best course of action for you based on your interests, values and intentions. Yvonne says, “Working Moms Startup sessions could result in a new decision for your life, inspire a make-over, generate a new business idea, or expose your inner critic…stay open to the possibilities.”
If you are ready to create your ideal life, or know a mother who is, don’t miss this valuable opportunity! Here’s how to enter in 2 easy steps:
(1) Email us at info AT weparent DOT com nominating yourself or another working mom for the complimentary start up session, then LEAVE A COMMENT HERE telling us you’ve submitted the nomination. Explain why you (she) should win the session, and how it can make a difference in your (her) life.
Then…
(2) Send a short email to Yvonne AT Sophisticatedwomanandmama DOT com containing the same info as in (1).
(3) Yvonne will choose one winner from each site.
(4) Winners will be announced during “Happy Parents, Happy Kids.”
Enter today and get one step closer to a happier you…which means, a happier kid!
*“Co-Parenting Matters” will take a brief break from the airwaves on Super Bowl Sunday February 7th…for the obvious reasons.
Black History Month Giveaway: Family Passes to “Let Your Motto Be Resistance”
Let your motto be resistance! Resistance! RESISTANCE!
No oppressed people have ever secured their liberty without resistance.
–Abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet, 1843
Resistance has been a critical theme throughout the history of Black families in this country. It has taken many forms. For some, survival by itself was an act of resistance. For others, it looked like fighting back…or not fighting back. And, for many, it was the commitment to celebrating our history and culture even when the cost was torture or death.
At WeParent, we believe that building strong, healthy, effective co-parenting relationships is an act of resistance against the forces that pull our children away from us–as much as it is an act of love. Through our commitment to partnering in parenting, we give our children the foundation they need to stand strong in this world. And, to us, raising strong, happy, powerful Black children is a revolultionary act all by itself. So, we’re all about resistance through a co-parenting revolution.
On January 30, 2010, the Atlanta History Center will celebrate the opening of a new exhibition, Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African-American Portraits which runs through April 25th. Let Your Motto Be Resistance is the first of four exhibitions being present as part of the Center’s Civil War to Civil Rights series. The exhibit, inspired by the call to action of nineteenth century political activist and Underground Railroad conductor, Henry Highland Garnet, uses portraits of well-known African-Americans from the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery to trace 150 years of U.S. history. These powerful images celebrate the diverse ways that African-Americans creatively and courageously redefined the history of this country through struggle, accomodation and resistance.
As part of our celebration of Black History Month, we’re partnering with the Atlanta History Center to give away family passes to Let Your Motto Be Resistance to four lucky WeParent readers. Passes are good for free admission for 2 adults and up to 4 children (a $74 value.) We’ll choose a new winner each week during the month of February. So, if you don’t win this week, your entry is still in the hat for the next one. Winners will be announced every Sunday during Black History Month and notified via email. Here’s how to enter:
MANDATORY:
- Leave a comment here either suggesting a way for parents to celebrate Black History Month with their children, telling us how you’re planning to celebrate with yours or just sharing a few words about an historic figure who inspires you.
OPTIONAL:
- Join our mailing list and leave a comment here telling us you did.
- Become a member of our online community, WeParent Connect.
- Become a fan of WeParent on Facebook and leave a comment telling us you did.
That’s 4 chances to win! Don’t miss this opportunity to share this glimpse into African-American and U.S. history with your family. We’ll see you there!
Preparing Our Kids to THRIVE in the 21st Century
January 26, 2010 by Venus Taylor
Filed under Articles, Featured, Spotlight
The world our kids will inherit is far different from the one we were born into.
Back when I was born, most TVs were still in black and white. There was no cable tv, no fax machines, microwave ovens, or personal computers. People held jobs for years, if not lifetimes. And they often retired with pensions…unless, like my grandmother, they were cheated out of them by being laid off just before they’d reached the 20- or 30-year mark. (But that’s a different story.)
Our kids are being born into a world of rapid change. Product choices, investment options, job descriptions, even “proven facts,” can become obsolete every 6 months. To prosper in the 21st century, our children need more than just computer skills. They need to be able to hold their own – emotionally, financially, and socially. They need to be ready to ride the waves of change. They need an internal GPS and a lighthouse, so they don’t get lost in a storm. And they need an anchor to mark the place they call “home.”
Along with a solid education and good manners, here are a few other tools to properly equip today’s kids for tomorrow’s world:
Skills Every Child Needs to T.H.R.I.V.E. in the 21st Century
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX — Kids these days need to be able to do more than memorize facts. Thinking critically and creatively will help them rise to every new challenge they’ll face.
Foster kids’ creativity with “What if…” questions – What would you do if you needed to open a can and couldn’t find a can opener? What might happen if you jump off the sofa with that coffee table sitting there?
Above all, don’t punish them when they DO think creatively…and end up doing something you don’t like. Like, let’s say, tie-dying the cat so it doesn’t camouflage with the living room carpet. Instead, recognize their creativity, but guide them toward a more useful application.
HEAL – The world can be a sick place – physically and emotionally. We can’t control the world, but we can control ourselves.
Teach kids how to keep themselves healthy and strong – in spite of what happens in the world around them – by building up their immune systems. (Again, physically, and emotionally.)
Physically: Who knows if there will be any affordable health care when our kids are grown? The best guarantee of good health is eating real food – especially fruits and veggies – cooked at home with real ingredients – not chemicals, colors, and preservatives. Healthy food creates a healthy immune system – helping your body heal and fight disease from the inside out.
Emotionally: Encourage kids to name their feelings. Ask them often, “How did you feel when that happened?” Their honest emotions can be an internal GPS, guiding them to stay away from danger, or to speak up when they don’t like something. Respect their right to have feelings different from yours. Don’t shut them down. The more kids know themselves, and the more they learn to express feelings their feelings verbally, the more self-disciplined they can be.
RESOLVE CONFLICTS – In friendships, at school, in job situations…knowing how to resolve conflicts productively is an invaluable social skill.
Teach kids to listen to another’s point of view as well as calmly express their own. Ask, “How could this be handled in a way that respects everybody?”
DON’T HIT. Hitting kids teaches them that physical violence is ok to use when you’re upset. It also fosters anger, resentment, and low self-esteem – none of which promotes healthy conflict management.
After a conflict, ask, “How’d you feel about the way things went? What might you do differently next time?”
INITIATE – The days of being an “employee” are over.
Even if you’re employed by someone, you’ve gotta think like an entrepreneur to make yourself indispensable. Rather than passively waiting for an employer to tell you what to do, you’ve got to have initiative – think independently, come up with new ideas.
Help kids build their “initiative muscles” by letting them make some decisions for the family: Put them in charge of Saturday night’s menu; let them come up with a way to fix the wobbly kitchen chair.
When they complain about something, ask them what they would do to make it better. Then let them implement their ideas.
VERIFY ALL CLAIMS – Don’t let kids fall into the trap of believing every so-called “authority.” They will be marketed to, relentlessly, by politicians and advertisers – many of whom will not share the whole truth.
Teach kids to use the internet and other resources to find facts and opinions that contradict what they hear. Encourage them to look within themselves and decide whom to believe.
EMPATHIZE WITH OTHERS – Not being able to accept another’s perspective is the primary cause of war – both globally and domestically.
Teach your kid to BE PEACE by learning to respect other people’s opinions, feelings, and desires.
Help them learn to hold two opposing perspectives – their own, and another person’s – and to treat others not as they would like to be treated, but as the other would like to be treated.
* * *
Kids who learn to Think, Heal, Resolve, Initiate, Verify, and Empathize, stay in-tuned with themselves and others.
They are anchored by close relationships over time, even as they re-invent themselves and relocate every few years.
They are guided by strong values that always lead them on the right course.
And they know how to change direction to navigate the winds of change.
Fatherhood Freestyle: You Are the Prize
January 20, 2010 by Mike McRae
Filed under Blogs, Fatherhood Freestyle, Spotlight
This post was inspired by the recent “Co-Parenting Matters” show on “Dads Raising Daughters” as well as my recent move from one coast to the other.
So, my daughter has been walking to school with one particular “friend” from our neighborhood since school began. We’ll call her, “Sarah” for the sake of anonymity. Well, around 7:15AM a few Mondays ago, my daughter sent Sarah the customary text to determine the logistics for the morning’s plans. When she responded “I can’t walk today,” I made the decision to drive my daughter to school myself. As we sat in the school parking lot waiting for the doors to open, I casually asked why her friend couldn’t walk. She shrugged her shoulders, explaining that Sarah “doesn’t speak” to her anymore.
Wait. Wait. Wait. Rewind.
She doesn’t speak to her anymore? How about all the back-and-forth texts? And her smile when I drop my daughter off every morning? No sooner than she’d said this, we looked ahead and there was Sarah walking up the hill…by herself. My daughter pulled out her phone to confirm she had read the text correctly, and disappointingly stated, “That’s what she said.” I immediately got that visceral feeling that overcomes every parent when they think someone has hurt their kid, regardless of that person’s age.
While we sat in the car waiting for the school’s doors to open, I decided it was time to press the issue a little. My daughter explained that Sarah had given some kids in the classroom necklaces, but not her. She told me Sarah sometimes didn’t even speak to her in school despite their having walked together just that morning. My daughter said Sarah called her “sooo annoying” and had recently been very mean to her. My blood, a raging 212 degrees Farenheit at this point was about to explode into a wicked headache. I tried my damnedest not to show my frustration, because I didn’t want her to pick up that this bothered me and (possibly) decide against sharing these kinds of stories in the future out of concern I would be hurt.
Convinced I had already heard enough, I let her finish telling the story anyway. I knew my daughter wanted that relationship, even though it probably didn’t feel good to her. I felt she was sticking around, because she didn’t see any better alternative. She had plenty of other good friendships from before, so she probably thought she’d easily find them here. After all, she had never experienced being the new girl in the new neighborhood in the new school on a different coast. Honestly, I may have underestimated these challenges myself. Given the recent transition, I knew she really wanted to be accepted and would be willing to try her hardest to make that happen, even if it meant forgetting her own strength and value. The whole discussion actually reminded me so much of those I’ve had with adult women about their own friendships and romantic relationships throughout the years. All I could see was my own daughter ten or fifteen years from now…and I refused to let this teachable moment pass without my sending a powerful message.
After she finished, I started to teach (or was it venting?). I told her she didn’t need to pursue ANY relationship where she was not equally pursued. I told her she was a good friend and needed to find friends who reciprocated. I explained to her that making new friends quickly wasn’t as important as making good friends. I even told her most people are lucky to have just five or so true friends in life. I explained that she should want friends who value her friendship, and that she should never settle for less. This probably lasted for a good half hour. She opened the car door after the school doors opened and gave me a hug. As she was leaving, I told her to look around, and I said, “Remember, YOU and your friendship are the prize.” She nodded her head, sighed, and left.
All day, I kept wondering if I had said the right thing. I was completely unproductive at work, calling friends left and right to see if they could help me wrap my head around the whole situation. I was consumed. Did she pick up on my anger? Was she listening to or even understanding what I had said? Was I being too protective and not just allowing her to ride it out naturally (with less overt support)? Should I pull her from the school if things didn’t improve? Would I continue the conversation later at home? Or maybe I was just blowing this whole thing out of proportion.
By the time I got home, I had already decided I would drop subtle nuggets of wisdom here and there instead of continuing to explicitly reference the situation. However, later that evening, my daughter spontaneously said to me, “Dad, Sarah told me a few days ago that she was going to buy me a Christmas present.” I calmly asked if Sarah had spoken to her throughout the day, and she responded, “No.” I wanted to make sure she wasn’t getting her hopes up too high. Plus, I had mixed feelings about her accepting a gift from Sarah. However, I wanted to leave the decision up to her, so I asked her whether she intended to accept it. She shot back forcefully, “I don’t know, but even if she gives me one, I am not getting her one!” Although it was her decision to make, I insisted she consider the message she would be sending either way. “If you really do not want to be her friend, do you really think it’s cool to take a gift from her?”
She went on to say that how Sarah had been acting was not nice, how she didn’t appreciate it and didn’t want to be her friend anymore. In fact, she told me that if the girl did not apologize and tried to talk to her, she would simply say, “Wait! What is that buzzing sound in my ear?” She stated she could make friends with other kids, and she no longer wanted to walk with Sarah. (Of course, she didn’t know I’d already made arrangements with the boss to go in late, so I could bring her to school myself.) Surprised at this new energy and spirit, I was smiling as I asked her where all this was coming from. She looked at me with those beautiful brown eyes and said, “Remember Daddy, I am the prize.”
Staying Close to Your Kids…from a Distance
Our family uses a pretty evenly split parenting time schedule to ensure that our son spends time with both parents on a weekly basis and that we both have hands-on intimate involvement in all aspects of his life. So, we both get to spend time with him regularly. Still, when he’s away from me, the truth is, I miss him and I want him to know that even when we’re apart, I’m still loving him.
I imagine that I’m not the only one, so here are a few suggestions for maintaining a connection with your children while you’re away from them:
- Use a mix of scheduled and spontaneous contact. Scheduled contact should be agreed upon by both parents. It should be at regular times and be convenient for everyone involved. You might be missing your child, but you aren’t doing him, her or your co-parent any favors by disrupting breakfast, dinner or bedtime. So, work this out up front. Similarly, spontaneous contact is nice, but, again, work with your co-parent to ensure that your calls are not disruptive or too frequent.
- Go online with email and internet-based tools for connecting. Be sure to teach your children online safety. And, you may want to consider using a tool specifically to keep families connected.
- Give your children their own phone line. Two kid-centric cell phone companies we’re aware of are Firefly and Kajeet. If you go with this option, be prepared to establish rules on acceptable cell phone use and to teach your children cell-iquette and safety. And, ideally, get buy-in from your co-parent. If you and your child’s other parent don’t communicate or consistently have high-conflict contact, this may be a great option.
- Schedule an off-time date. If you are apart from your children for extended periods, consider a periodic dinner or a coffee…well, orange juice, date to break things up. Coordination with your child’s other parent is key, as is adhering strictly to agreed upon pick-up and drop-off times.
- Keep a “Thinking About You” journal. Don’t just think about your children, write a note, paste photos, add newspaper clippings…whatever helps you chronicle and illustrate just how much you’re thinking about them. During their next stay with you, share.
- Create a letter writing kit…for both of you. Purchase a notebook, a keepsake box, stickers, colored pencils, etc. and teach your children the lost art of letter writing. You’ll not only create a special activity that just the two of you share, you’ll both collect wonderful keepsakes to go along with the memories.
- Give your child a personalized gift that s/he can touch, feel and/or hear on a daily basis to remind them that you care. Some options might be: a locket, special box, stuffed animal or just a specially framed photo of the two of you.
These are just a few options, but there are so many more. Be creative, allow your children to inspire you and take the lead in staying connected. Our children need to be reminded that even when we’re apart, our hearts and minds remain with them.
This Week on Co-Parenting Matters: Dads Raising Daughters
December 11, 2009 by WeParent
Filed under Featured Podcast, Podcast
Join us on “Co-Parenting Matters” this Sunday at 9 PM EST for a candid chat with two single dads about raising daughters. Our guests will be RJ Jaramillo, founder of SingleDad.com (who joined us for last Sunday’s lively conversation about “Sex and the Single Parent”), and Whitney Yakini Traylor, attorney, author, and Fatherhood Freestyler at WeParent.com.
And finally, because it never, ever gets old…
MamaSpeak: Etiquette Tips for Our Sons
September 30, 2009 by Lisa Maria Carroll
Filed under Blogs, MamaSpeak
I recently moved to Washington, D.C, and one of the nice things about being here is that I can listen to Steve Harvey in the morning. Steve is a funny guy. But along with his comedic flair comes a softer, gentler side that’s passionate about teaching young men to act like men and helping women make a love connection.
Last week Steve’s show sent 29-year-old “Lirpanla” on a date with 27-year-old “SELDOM1.” After the date they came back on the show to tell how it went. And you could tell by their tone that it didn’t go well.
Lirpanla called SELDOM1 immature and childish because he opened her car door and made her scoot over, so he could get in. And, then he didn’t walk on the side of the sidewalk closest to the street when they were walking to the restaurant. SELDOM1 called Lirpanla high-maintenance because he had never heard of a man walking around to get into a car after letting the woman in, nor did he know that a man should walk on the sidewalk closest to the street as the first line of defense, if anything happens to the woman.
At that point I did have some compassion for the man, and especially after I read an article in Sports Illustrated about Miami Hurricane’s coach, Randy Shannon, talking about taking etiquette classes at 17 to learn how to open a door for someone. I guess I just thought it was innate. Maybe that explains why I have friends who have never had a man open their car door. It could also explain why my children’s friends would come into my house, and my son would have to tell them to take their hats off They don’t know, because they’ve never been taught. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve dined in restaurants and seen teens wearing caps and hats, and the adults they’re with say not a word.
Some men consider opening doors and pulling out chairs outmoded. And some feminists find it offensive. But, chivalry is not dead. As a true Renaissance woman who knows what makes me a strong black woman, there are some things that will never go out of style, nor are they signs of weakness for me or my male companion:
- When going down stairs or an escalator, the man goes first. In case the lady trips, he can catch her. When going up stairs or an escalator, the man follows for the same reason.
- When entering and exiting an elevator, the man holds the door open and lets the woman enter or exit first.
- When entering a building, the man opens the door for the woman so that she may enter first. (Except when entering the house. A man enters the house before his wife and kids.)
- When exiting a building, the man goes to the same side of the woman that the door hinge is on, reaches around her, pushes open the door and holds it while she exits.
- For revolving doors, let the lady enters first. Gently get the door moving; step into the next “stall”, and continue pushing, so she doesn’t need to.
- When walking down the street, the man should be between the lady and the traffic.
- Always open a car door for a woman. After you open the door, walk around and get in. Don’t ask her to scoot over.
- Go to the door to get your date. Never sit in the car and honk your horn. After a date, a man walks a lady to her door.
- If a woman drives to a man’s place, the man walks her to her car when she is ready to go, opens the door, and helps her get in.
- A man respects a woman’s boundaries. “No” means “no,” even if he thinks it’s probably “yes.”
- A man never calls a woman out of her name.
- A man never…E-V-E-R hits a woman.
- A man never tries to buy love, because he’ll never finish paying for it.
- A man ALWAYS pays for the first date.
- A man helps a lady with her suitcase.
- A man remove his hat upon entering a restaurant.
- A man pulls out the lady’s chair, and helps her get seated before he sits down.
- When the lady needs to go to the restroom, the man stands up and pulls out her chair. When the lady returns from the restroom, the man stands up and pulls out her chair.
Mamas, we might not be able to teach our sons everything about becoming a man, but we can certainly join Steve in teaching them how to treat women.
WeParent Family, what do you think we should be teaching our sons?
Teaching My Son about Violence
April 21, 2009 by Lisa Maria Carroll
Filed under Blogs, MamaSpeak
I was stunned when Chris Brown and Rihanna cancelled their Grammy appearance because one was in the hospital being treated for bruises from a domestic assault, while the other – her accused assailant – was being booked for beating the woman he loved. And in the days that followed, my emotions ran the gamut: sadness that Brown had already been tried and convicted in the trial of public opinion, befuddlement as to how a man could inflict bodily harm on a woman he loves, and confusion as to why so many people – men and women, young and old alike – felt like Rihanna brought the attack on herself.
Like most people, I saw this as a teachable moment for my daughters. As a woman who has never been hit by a man, I grapple with my understanding of how a love affair can go so wrong that a heated exchange of words can escalate to a point where someone – the man, the woman, or both – is left bloodied and bruised. My girls need to know that there is never an excuse or a reason for a man to hit a woman. And they should also know that that knife cuts both ways; they have a duty to keep their hands to themselves.
But no sooner than Brown could post bail and cause another media stir about a much-rumored reconciliation with Rihanna, Gospel megastar BeBe Winans was arrested for allegedly shoving his wife to the ground when he showed up at her house, and the two started arguing about custody issues. And, once again, the blogosphere was ablaze with comments that Winans’ wife must have made him do it. That’s when I realized that these incidents were teachable moments for my son, as well.
Girls can be dramatic
I’m a reformed drama queen. Just ask my three older brothers, and they will tell you about how I would get out of bed every morning and pick a fight, knowing they couldn’t hit me. I’m not talking about us having a physical fight; my tongue was my weapon of choice. And there was nothing I liked more than a fight, than another fight. So, even though my daddy had a strict rule against my brothers hitting their sister, at the very least I wanted them to return my verbal assaults. But, nooo, they ignored me. And that annoyed me. But as time went on, I was the one who gave in and eventually had to come up with other ways to get attention.
That’s the same thing I want my son to do. If he finds himself in a heated situation where he feels like he’s being pushed to the point of hitting a woman, I want him to let cooler heads prevail and walk away. That’s not the time to be prideful. I want to assure him that his pride will still be intact after he cools off.
Roughhousing can land you in jail
My son is a 6’3”, 325 pound man. He’s 18 now and was always a big kid. I had to constantly remind him that he couldn’t play with his classmates the same way that he played with his sisters. (They’re as rough as he is.) Now that he’s a grown man, I tell him that his size is already imposing, and that he really needs to be mindful when engaging in horseplay, because horseplay between adults is not child’s play. A simple shove or push can land him in jail.
Violence doesn’t equal strength
I think it’s unfortunate that so many young men define their manhood by violence. I will teach my son that hitting a woman – or a man for that matter – doesn’t make him a man. I think it’s really important that he understands that respecting women will make him a much stronger man. When he was younger, I used to tell him to impress me with his intelligence, not his stupidity, and that his mind is his strongest weapon. The same holds true for him now that he’s an adult. There’s nothing impressive about a man using physical violence to prove his strength. That’s stupid. He’ll get far more kudos and accolades by exercising self-control and self-restraint…And in doing so, he’ll also avoid a run-in with the law.
Check Out “Drama Misty”
March 11, 2009 by WeParent
Filed under WeParent Connect
Don’t miss Drama Misty, the latest blog post from WeParent Connect member, Sara Shay Sullivan in which she poetically ponders the wonders of parenting a thirteen-year-old on the front side of womanhood. Check out this excerpt:
Today Drama Misty decided for the third time in as many months that she’s, “never going to tell me anything again.” And after checking with Merriam-Webster for the definition of “never”, which for the record is synonymous with “tomorrow” in thirteen-speak, I realized we were headed to Act II, Scene 1 of the lifetime dramedy that is her life.
Read the rest on WeParent Connect…
Help!–The Trouble with Teens
February 10, 2009 by Whitney Traylor
Filed under Blogs, Fatherhood Freestyle
So, I have two demanding full time jobs, yet the thing that takes most of my mental energy and makes me question myself more than anything else in my life is my performance as a father. I am a college professor and a lawyer with my own practice. Despite the energy and pressure associated with both of my “jobs,” I end up late at night praying and wondering if I’m doing the right thing most often after sending my eleven-year-old sixth grade daughter to bed early yet once again. It may be the fifteenth eye roll of the night or the mumbling under her breath or me having to ask for her to put her dishes away SEVEN times that precipitated the early bedtime; but the cause of the consequence is inconsequential, it’s the aftermath that’s most important. The aftermath is my sheer frustration and confusion. It goes like this:
ME: Damn, did I overreact? What just happened? How did things escalate so quickly?
VOICE IN MY HEAD (since I don’t have a wife to bounce things off of): Well, you probably didn’t need to send her to bed early just because you had to ask her to put her books away a few times.
ME: A few times???? Is seven a few?
VOICE IN MY HEAD: Well, she’s 11. This is normal. She is struggling too.
ME: Yeah, but I am not going to have a self-absorbed little girl in this house. There are too many people suffering for her to expect the world to revolve around her.
VOICE IN MY HEAD: Well, that’s understandable, but step back, take a breath and get some perspective. You have an amazing, powerful, intelligent, funny, beautiful little girl. So, she may be insolent from time to time as most girls her age are, but she is a good girl.
ME (calming down): Well, she does do excellent in school. She loves to read, does her homework without issue, plays sports with enormous heart, is very funny and has developed a feminine wisdom that has steered me in the right direction numerous times. (Guilt begins to kick in). Yeah, but she needs to be humble.
VOICE IN MY HEAD: Well, be careful about that. She is at a vulnerable age. We need our young sisters to maintain that confidence, the belief in themselves. Not only the self confidence, but also the self-esteem. So many times society will tell our young girls to quiet down, not laugh so loud, don’t always comment, don’t be so disagreeable, go along with the program, etc…
ME: Good point. So, where is the balance? What do I do?
And that is the question, I find myself asking so often. What do I do?
So, as a parent, this is my current state of struggle. Being a Dad has been the greatest joy I have experienced in my life, without question. It is my role as Dad that has given me my greatest sense of purpose and sense of belonging in this world. Up until about three months ago, it has been relatively easy and made a lot of sense. Recently, as described above, things began to get confusing.
For my inaugural blog, there were many wonderful things I could have written about to encapsulate my walk as Dad. However, I felt that expressing my confusion and challenges was most appropriate to start the conversation. As we move forward in our dialogue, you may see from me more questions than answers, but I firmly believe through these conversations, we as parents, will, and must, get better. Let’s discuss the loving moments…and the challenging ones too. Let’s learn from each other, grow together, vent, share, laugh, cry…and…grow! I look forward to the discussion, and so I say in advance…hello, nice to meet you and thank you.
