About me (my mothering part 1)

*I am a Mom. My kidlets are the most important thing in the world to me, they are my heart, I would die for them.

I may not mother the same way you do, but that does not make the way I do it wrong or better than your way.

Some things that are important to me in my mothering, may not seem that important to you. I will give you a list of things that are important to me - in no particular order,

(again...disclaimer...header)

-My BIGGEST pet peeve is 'baby talk.' Why it is even called 'baby talk' is beyond me, because even babies don't *talk* 'baby talk.' My kidlets know that they DO NOT do this. My kidlets friends know that they DO NOT do this when they are playing with them. My kidlets WILL get punished if they 'baby talk.' Aaron and I have NEVER 'baby talked' to the kidlets. We have always talked to them like everybody should...normally. They are human. I personally feel like it is disrespectful to 'talk down' to anybody, no matter their age, so we don't. And...it's all I can do to not punch someone (specifically a Dr. at KidsCare) in the face when they 'baby talk' to my kidlets, I'm pretty sure that my blood actually boils when it happens.

-Whispering. Holy Hell, this is right up there with Baby Talk. It is mean and disrespectful to whisper when you are around other people. And, it's just annoying to whisper at all. I understand that some children are shy and it is hard for them to speak up, but I'm sorry...it bothers me. You will always hear and understand what my kidlets have to say. Not because they are yelling, but because they are not whispering and they are speaking properly and not 'baby talking.'

-Table manners. Piper and Teague have been using utensils since they could hold them, before they were a year old. AND, they hold them PROPERLY! They DO NOT slurp their soup, or handle the noodles with their hands. They do however use their hands when they are eating "FINGER FOOD," or when eating a hot dog or hamburger or sandwich, which requires them to pick it up. They DO NOT chew with their mouths open (sometimes we have to remind them), or talk with their mouths full. They also wash their hands before they eat. Proper table manners is all I'm asking for.

I have to tell you an experience we had at our house when a TEN year old friend of Piper's came over for the simple lunch of Ramen Noodles one day. The girls made the Ramen themselves. They put out the place mats on the table and carried their bowls over and put them on the table. They grabbed a fork and a spoon (Piper prefers to use both) and some crackers (we eat saltines with our Ramen - a very good way to get bloated) I about DIED when Piper's friend began eating her Ramen with her hands and was getting the broth everywhere. I politely ask her to please use either a spoon or a fork to eat her Ramen, she did. But...she held her spoon like a (as my mom would say) a Caveman as she slurped her Ramen into her mouth. AND, her long hair was getting in her bowl as she leaned over to eat...it didn't seem to bother her. It was obviously bothering Piper, but she is such a good person, she didn't say or do anything. Me on the other hand...I left the room. This is EXACTLY how I don't want my kids to eat.

-Manners in general. 'Please' and 'Thank You' mean more than most any other words. I hope and pray that my kidlets say 'Please' and 'Thank You' more than they should. They do when I am around, so I hope they do when I'm not.

If the only words you speak are "thank you," it will be enough.
-Unknown
(one of my favorite quotes)

-We live in a very sheltered community. SO, So, so many people ask me why I don't enroll my kidlets at the local Community Theatre's children's program. There are several reasons why I don't, but most importantly, I want my kidlets to see that there is a world outside of the little bubble that we live in. I want my kidlets to know that not everybody is Mormon. I want my kidlets to know and be friends with people outside of our neighborhood, outside of our ward/stake and outside of their school. This is very important to me.

-As stated before, we live in a very sheltered community. I don't ever want my kidlets to feel sheltered. I want them to be raised with an open mind and want them to be able to think freely. I think that by letting them do stuff outside of the bubble helps. I also don't want them to feel like I am over-protective. I am the mom that drops my kidlets off at whatever they might be going to. I do not stay. I drop Teague off at Hockey practice (I help get him in his gear). I drop Piper off at Ballet. I drop them off at Theatre School. I drop them off at guitar (when they are taking). I drop them off at whatever rehearsal is going on at the time. Then...I leave. I pick them up when it is over. I have ALWAYS done this, always, ever since they were little. Unless it is a game or a performance, I am not there. Not only does this *force* them to be social and to interact with everybody, including adults, it also teaches them that they can trust me. I always come back to get them.
*For the record - I would never let my kidlets be involved with anything/anybody that I didn't trust entirely! After all, they are my heart...

-I know that when my kidlets leave the house they are clean and their hair is combed or done. They may not be clean and their hair may not be perfect when they come home, but when they leave...

Because these things are important to me, I am pretty strict about them. I can say that my kidlets don't talk 'baby talk' or whisper. They have have proper table manners along with good manners in general. I feel like my kidlets are very well adjusted and not shy. I love it when my kidlets initiate conversations with people...anybody...as if they were forty year old adults.

This is good for now. On my next "About me" I will list some of the things that are probably very important to you, but not so important to me...you may be surprised!

MM's
1. Being a Momma