The ABC's of Parenting

There will never be a book, blog, or article that will prepare you for being a parent. Everyone will have their advise and wisdom to share with you. Appreciate what everyone has to say, and know that every child is different. Even in the same family - what works with one kid may not work with another. One thing I have learned, 3 babies later, is that parenting can feel tough, often. One common thing among all parents is that we all feel the same at some point - like we may not be good enough. Or maybe we aren't qualified to do this. Or - wow, I really screwed up... how about this one - Did I really just yell at my kid for spilling water? Life. Work. Marriage. Relationships. Unwanted drama. We all have it. No matter where you grew up or how you were raised, chances are, in today's world, you are experiencing some form of Stress! So instead of trying to write the Rights and Wrongs of parenting or condemning everyone else of something I probably did yesterday, I felt led to write a list of Reminders for all parents. No matter how old your children are. I think this list will apply to us all.

Always love your children. No matter what. God gave them to you on purpose.
Be easy on yourself. Nobody has parenting down to an art. Every child is different.
Care about everything they have to say, one day they may not want to share anything with you.
Don't doubt your abilities. A bad day doesn't make you a bad parent or a bad person.
Every day will seem long, cherish them because the years are short.
Forgive them quickly - no, immediately. They are just little kids.
Give them lots of love, hugs, kisses, and fun memories. They deserve a great childhood.
Hear what they are telling you. They are usually pretty funny people.
Inspire them to be like Christ. Teach them to give and also love others.
Just have fun with them, no matter what you are doing together.
Keep your priorities straight - don't spend hours cleaning when you could be spending time with them.
Learn to love every stage of every age, even the terrible 2's. You will miss them when they are teens.
Make time for each child, each day, to tell them how awesome they are and that you love them.
Never allow your mistakes to define you. Allow God's Word to define you.
Open your heart to them. They will pour into you.
Pray for them and with them daily. They will learn to pray on their own quickly.
Quit thinking about what you should have done - it's in the past.
Respect your parents more for raising you - now you see how tough it was.
Say your sorry when you mess up. They are always quick to forgive.
Talk to them about their day and about their future. Explore their imagination.
Understand what they are going through. Remember how you felt at their age.
Value the time you do have. Don't allow busyness to keep you from bonding.
Worry not - trust in the Lord. He has it all under control.
Xpect things to go differently than planned, and don't freak out when they do.
You will not be able to be a perfect parent, and that's okay.
Zip it when you feel the urge to yell. Just breathe and walk away. You won't regret that.

I wish letter Y didn't apply. I wish I could be that perfect parent. However, on this earth, that's not possible. Learning to accept that we make mistakes can be tough. Many of these are a work in progress for myself. No matter how many times we mess up though, just remember you aren't the only parent in the world feeling ashamed or regretting something you just did. Slow down and pray. Allow your Heavenly Father to help you, for He created you and knows you more than you know yourself.

Dear Diary - Love Chloe

October 15th, 2013. This was the day I was born. (2 weeks before I was expected) On the left are my 2 brothers and 2 of my grandparents, on the right is my daddy. This was a good day, everyone was happy and taking pictures of me. In fact, they are still taking lots of pictures of me... maybe I'm famous.

I am now a week old and they say my hair is a little on the wild side. I hear Malachi (the rough one) had the same issue. Maybe that Johnson and Johnson guy could make a product for baby hair soon, that would be totally awesome!



This is a picture of my daddy trying to comfort me. God gave me 2 older brothers to watch over me and protect me from mean boys, but right now they are just being way too LOUD for me and my head is killing me! Isn't it past their bedtime anyways? I will get them back for this one day.

Today I am 10 days old. Yesterday I lost that silly plastic thing attached to my belly. However, mommy says it was too soon because it was still bleeding some. Thanks to my pamper though, it's gone (and I'm happy because it would scratch my tummy). So now that it's gone I get to experience, "the bath." The first one was not a great experience. I actually cried... but it didn't last long and once I was wrapped up and changed into fresh clothes and a new diaper, I felt pretty good.

Day 13 - this happened. An 8 week old boxer. Daddy really wanted her... not sure why because I am a newborn and I'm supposed to be getting all the attention in the house! - I'll stop there, you may gather your own opinion on this white thing. ugh.

It's official - I'm 2 weeks old and mother is a mess. She sees that I am getting bigger already so she decided to snap some shots of me with this sign, I'm told I'll be posing for this "timeline photo" often. First time wearing shoes too, and Joshua (my oldest brother) is concerned that I get to wear shoes in the house and he doesn't. That's right big bro, the baby is already getting special privileges! Get used to it. - boo yah (I really don't talk like this by the way)


 So mom decided to play a little dress up one day... I can't believe she put this shirt on me. I know everyone poops, but who wears a shirt about it? I really hope this doesn't go public. So to make sure it didn't stay on me, I projectile vomited all over myself, that'll teach her.

Then it gets worse. My mom dressed me up as a mouse named Minnie. I'm a baby, not a mouse! Who likes mice anyways? People run and scream when they see a mouse. Soon enough I will be able to talk and I will kindly explain that I would like to pick out my own clothes.

Not sure if this is any better but I was told I wouldn't be the only one "dressed up" on this day. They called it Halloween. I'm a cupcake - which is better than the mouse because cupcakes are sweet like me and people don't run from them. Say cheese! - oh wait, that's what those mice eat...

So here we are, all 5 of us (minus the dog). They said it was a fun night, I wouldn't know. Napping seemed more important so that's exactly what I did. Frequent naps is also another privilege I get from being the baby. Mom and dad try to get those in too but between me and the dog, we make sure they stay awake - I call it being productive.