Breaking the rules

A friend of mine on Facebook was talking yesterday about the kind of day she was having with her kids, and how she was breaking the rules a bit to get stuff done. In other words, she was letting her daughter do things she wouldn't normally let her do for the sake of getting some work done. The end of her status was something about how "some would say this is bad parenting, I call it SURVIVAL". In my head I'm thinking "Rock on sister, I do it ALLLLLL the time!" Apparently, though, not everyone views it this way, and clearly did think it was bad parenting, because she got a couple comments about controlling her child. Um, excuse me?? The sweet girl is Two. Like, seriously.

This got me thinking about the things I do, and the things I allow just for the sake of my own sanity. For my friend it was letting her kiddo walk around with a water bottle spraying stuff. Whatever, it's water. I am pretty sure I've done much worse. In fact, this could be a sister post to the Mommy Confessions post I did a few days ago. Sometimes, you do what you gotta do. I've caught my kids playing in my makeup, only to walk away because well, at least they were quiet. Dragging out all my shoes to play "mommy-baby", yup let that slide too. Too much t.v.? Probably a daily  situation in this house.

To me this stuff is harmless. However there are obviously people who are out there looking down on me because of the way my children act when we're at home. As though the things that I deem okay and acceptable are wrong. As though the way I let my girls play is detrimental to their development. Somehow running up and down the hallway racing each other is going to directly affect the way they act towards adults, other children, in restaurants and essentially cause them to control me. I'm not sure I understand the logic behind that. Interactive playing (which to a two year old is running up and down the hall, or spraying things with a water bottle) is harmless in my eyes. And I am the parent. So what makes it acceptable for someone to tell me I'm doing it wrong. Are THEY the ones who will have to suffer through cleaning up the water, the shoes, or the makeup? Are THEY the ones trying to entertain my 4.5 yr old and 3 yr old? Do they have to put them in bed each night? Did they spend all the time changing diapers, getting spit up on, and soothing the endless crying? I think not. Mothers (and Fathers, because Husband has done it all too!) suffer the consequences of what they allow their children to do. If they don't mind, it don't matter. 

So it's like this, unless you want to come clean my house, change my children's diapers, entertain them on my budget, and take over the job of being their Parent, keep your mouth shut because "Unsolicited Parenting Advice Not Welcome Here." and "My house, My rules."

That is all.