Mommy lessons

I really want to be a good mommy. I want my kids to love me, but most importantly, I want them to grow to be obedient, wonderful children who people love to be around because of how polite and enjoyable they are. I know that I don't achieve these goals very often. I have found that sometimes it is easier to be soft than to stick to my guns. However, I have also found that when trying to teach lessons to my kids, not everyone is receptive.

We were in Walmart today and Austin was helping me load the thing we were buying onto the belt to go to the cashier. He wasn't being the neatest of course, being two. But he was really, honestly helping. So I encouraged him and told him thank you. The cashier, under his breath, said "yeah, so helpful." I told the man, that while I understood that Austin may not be the neatest, I found it important to try to encourage him to do helpful things now so that he will continue that trend as he grows older.

I know some people may not agree with my reasoning, but I'm not sure shushing your child and asking them to not help is great either. We are already trying to encourage Austin to help pick up toys, help with groceries, ect. He isn't the fastest or the best at it, but he really enjoys helping and I think that is what is important.

I'm also learning that with a two year old, sometimes sticking to your guns is the best thing to help them learn a lesson. That isn't easy for me, especially in public. I just want to give in to make him happy so that he is quiet. That isn't teaching him any lessons. Today, I stuck to my guns. I told him no and we walked out of a store without his coveted sucker. I hope that lesson will stick.

I love my boys so much. I want them to know I love them. But I also want them to grow up learning manners and how to behave correctly in public. I don't pray enough for my boys or for my parenting. I am not anyways near a perfect mother. In fact, I think honestly, I'm pretty horrible at it. But I hope someday, my boys will know that their mommy loves them and wanted only the best for them, even if it means they didn't always get what they wanted when they wanted it