30 Day Mom Challenge Day 5—Tell yourself: “He’s only _____ years old.” Then, treat him that way.
I am not a mom who struggles with trying to get my kids to grow up too quickly; rather, I’m the mom who has a hard time remembering that I need to allow them to have more freedom, more responsibilities.
So, when I take on this challenge, it’s not a matter of not expecting too much but rather expecting more. I readily admit to being that mom who would rather do it myself than have someone else do it and make a bigger mess. But how else will they learn? I know that mistakes make for the best lessons.
So I start with breakfast and my 9-year-old son. He has shown me before that he can very handily manage breakfast for both him and his sister. There have been many weekend mornings when I wake up to find them in the kitchen, eating breakfast and reading a book. Today, he’s going to take on the task of breakfast with minimal involvement from me. Yes, I did have to remind him to put the milk away, but he showed me—and himself—that he is up to the challenge of additional chores.
And I let my 7-year-old daughter pick out her own outfit for school… but I reserve the right to veto it if it’s too crazy and not just rather mismatched (who says socks have to come in a pair!?). We all learn that some lessons are not worth fighting.
If you come to my house on a Saturday, you might find my daughter wearing a pink shirt with a green flowered sweater and plaid stretch pants with a skirt over them. You might also find my son clearing up the breakfast mess in the kitchen. And they’ll both be smiling.