Never say Never

Have you ever found yourself saying the words, "I will never..." and end that sentence with something you have witnessed another parent doing with their child? Something you could not understand at the time because your child was not at that stage yet?

In parenting, I have had to swallow my words on more than one occasion. Things I swore up and down that I would never do, I find myself doing. And in the process, I feel the need to apologize to other parents for judging before I knew better. 

I didn't think I would let toys overrun my living room. After Christmas I found myself making room in the corner for Ella's new kitchen set so that she can play in the living room while her father and I relax in the evenings and on weekends. At this moment we have a toybox, a grocery cart, a table and chairs, and a kitchen set in my living room. She is just a year and a half old... I don't even want to know what it will look like in a year. 

I could have sworn my daughter would have been a good eater. We let her cook with us in the kitchen. We have introduced her to so many foods in her short life. And yet, vegetables sit untouched on her plate as she offers it up to me exclaiming, "all done." And sometimes, even her favorite foods remain unfinished when she isn't in the mood to eat them. Truth be told, I didn't prepare myself for her refusal to eat. I don't know what those celebrity chefs are talking about when they say their children eat anything. Honestly, I think they are liars. 

I don't like pink. I even painted my daughter's nursery two different shades of blue in an effort to avoid the pinksplosion that can oftentimes happen with little girls. My kid likes pink. She wears a lot of pink. Her favorite shoes right now are pink boots. On top of that, I was going to try and shield her from the princess phenomenon. And while she does like trains and football too - she is obsessed with Elsa from Frozen. It is my fault for showing her the movie first. But, how was I to know that after one showing she would be hooked?

So... I was wrong. But I am completely fine with that. My daughter is her own person. She loves what she loves and likes what she likes (or doesn't like). All this to say, don't hold on too tightly to your own ideals. Let your children find their own way. Allow life to unfold as it needs to.  

I will never say never when it comes to parenting again. At least I hope so. ;)