By Beth Sanborn of Far From Camelot
My son does some pretty amazing acts outside the home. Mainly towards his parents, he acts more like a disrespectful 12 year old rather than an eager 2 year old. His light really seems to shine when we are out in public. It leaves me totally frustrated and wondering where I went wrong. Why can’t he respond to us positively, at home?
Chris took RB to the grocery store the other day and let me sleep in an hour longer. Another benefit to having an only child! Once home, I was regaled to a story of what took place at the store. An older woman, walking with a cane, was having difficulty reaching for an item on the lowest shelf. The two of them saw what was going on and before Chris could make a move to help, Riley ran over to the woman. He picked up what she needed and handed it to her. According to Chris, the woman was in shock that some little boy saw she was in distress and came to her rescue. And frankly, so was I when I was told.
My first feelings were not of being proud or grateful for his actions. I wondered why he showed such selflessness to a total stranger. I wondered why he was a typical defiant toddler to his parents. But should I really be upset over this? After all, his actions prove we are doing something right.
Who do we raise our children for? For our benefit to have a friend in old age? To have someone to take over our menial tasks in the home? Maybe to have an ever ready babysitter of younger siblings. What happens to our children once the come of age and walk out our front doors to the outside world? Have you prepared them enough? Do they have tough skin to get them through the pressures of life? Did you push them in the right direction to make good decisions that better themselves? Are their skills honed enough to keep them a well adjusted member of society?
Society is who we raise our children for, in a manner of speaking. What happens outside the peaceful home is a scary thought, and I want my son to be able to hit the sidewalk running! I want him to be successful as well as happy with his life. I want him to be a positive help to the world and not another statistic of failure. Will he be able to keep his first place clean and have roommates that stick around? If I set a good example, he will. Will he be able to get that promotion he deserves because of hard work and competence? If I set a good example, he will. Will he have compassion for others and thus be successful in all types of relationships? Well, so far so good!
However your beliefs lie, focus your parenting on how your child will affect society. I do not parent for the present, I parent for the future. Teach him in a way that you know you will be proud of your son when absent from the room! I love the thought of my little one being so kind to someone, so much so, that I will gladly take a few more scowls and howls!
About the Author: I am a daughter, wife and stay-at-home mother to a 2 year old little boy. In my 3rd decade, balance and happiness have finally come into my life with a little help from my parents and a lot of help from my faith. I have been writing all my life but new to publishing. My first gig was contributing to a weekly mom’s advice column in a local online paper. I’m finding that blogging and all that the online community entails is where I need to be. Life has changed me but my passions have stayed the same; The South is my conditioning, history is what keeps my attention and Spring Training is what gets me through the winter.
Check out Beth’s Blog: Far from Camelot
