How are you a bad parent sometimes?

[hot kachina]

Tell us your kid(s) age and be as honest as possible. Offer advice if you can.

Tay will be 6 in March '03.

Sometimes:

I sleep until noon on days when Tay doesn't go to school and he just waits, watching TV or eating snacks, until I wake up and be a mom :(

I spoil him -- he's not very disciplined, and I should have started disciplining early. Now when I tell him to pick up his things he whines and says he's tired or his leg hurts and eventually I end up doing most of the work myself. I fear he picked up this habit because I complain so much about my back hurting and using it as an excuse to get out of doing things.

More about discipline -- God, I am so horrible about it -- I mean, it barely exists in my house. I don't punish him by taking away the things he wants, he's too old for time-out, and I am really afraid he's going to be one of those kids that is eventually damaged by a lack of limits.

He watches too much TV.

I don't spend enough time with him outside the house -- just going to parks, or going on walks.

Some nights I am not in the mood to read him a story before bedtime and pretend I am falling asleep to get out of it.

I feel so guilty about these things...there are probably more I will think up and post later... but you know, I've never written it down and just looking at it makes me realize that there are some things that would be easy to change. What I cannot change is all the time I have lost already by letting it continue.

Do you ever feel like you're a bad parent?

[grumpydawn]

My son is into electronics wayyyy too much. He's been able to read since the age of 2- everything from the telephone book to the daily newspaper!

At 4 he's figured out how to work everything in our house, and I had to call the cable company to reset the lock- he figured it out himself!!

Taking away the rights to watch TV works for me. He actually tells me he WANTS a time- out when he's angry! But, he snaps to attention when he can't watch the boob tube.

[jan]

Well according to the 13 y o ...I am a bad parent b/c<br> I yell at the OU football playersand call them by their nicknames during games ...<br>her friends like my fashion style more...I buy it and wear it and then she steals it<br>I won't get her a cell phone

[Ryoko!]

Originally posted by jan
I won't get her a cell phone

*GASP*

someone should call CPS on you!

[angeles]

um, 6 y/o are not too old for time outs.

-angeles

[soMnUS]

My 4 year old is very stuborn, he always listens and does what he's told but the odd time he doesn't and in those moments I feel like he's always that way so I probably punish him too hard sometimes. On the flip side that's probably why he always listens. He knows disobedience has consiquences such as timeouts, no Playstation, going for a nap, early bedtime, spankings and confiscation of favorite toys.

[chloe dancer]

just out of curiosisty what playstation games does s/he play?

we have an xbox and my son does a racing game - well he holds the control and goes around the track in last place for 15 minutes:)


my main problem - patience! i just dont have enough. that coupled with sleepless nights im so tense all the time.

[syvvie]

Originally posted by hot kachina
I sleep until noon on days when Tay doesn't go to school and he just waits, watching TV or eating snacks, until I wake up and be a mom :(

He watches too much TV.



both of these things are true for me, too. although i don't sleep until noon ;) but Sylvia gets up by 8, even on weekends. i get up really early during the week, so on weekends i'll sleep in until about 9:30. she just hangs out and eats cereal or yogurt or something, watches 'toons or plays gameboy. (oh and FastestSlug-- my daughter loves video games. she's a Crash Bandicoot fanatic! and she plays Sonic the Hedgehog on the computer quite a bit.)

we're trying to phase out some of the television. especially now that she's in kindergarden, i've been trying to make more "structured" learning time, reading/practicing writing/etc.

i'm a bit too lenient with her, too. i find myself letting out the "fine, go ahead" sigh too many times a day. and i let her slide on too many things. "clean up your bedroom" always becomes "just pick up the toys (or books or clothes) and i'll get the rest."

man, i gotta toughen up :D

[Charles:]

I think I'm a bit too impatient with him. He's 7 and I expect him to know as much as I do and obviously that's not logical.

I think I might press him too much to do something he doesn't want to, but then I rethink it and figure I'm doing a good thing. I try to get across the point that he can't just quit something he doesn't like and he gets all upset. Usually I'll tell him to suck it up and lets get back to it. That was the theme for teaching him to ride a bike. At first. he was all crying cause he thought he couldn't do it, then I forced him to keep going and after 10 minutes he was riding by himself. So I guess that's not too bad.

other than that I think I'm ok.. I'm very disciplined with him, but on the other hand I understand he's a 7 year old and you have to let him be 7.

Sor....regarding the sleeping thing. I really hate doing that with my son. I mean I can understand a couple of hours, but what I do is go ahead and get up...spend a few hours with him, then take a 30 minute nap around 2pm. Works like a charm. I get more time with him and I feel rested.