These are my reasons for believing that I am on the right track to being a good mother which incidentally turn out to be some of the exact same reasons why my children think I am a bad one! (Ok, maybe not quite a bad mother but certainly a fussy one!)
1. I make the children wash their hands and pray before eating a meal. I read a quote recently which stated, Wash your hands and say your prayers because germs and Jesus are everywhere! I believe this to be true.
2. For almost all evening meals, I ensure that the children and I sit up to the table to eat dinner together. Apparently, none of their friends’ mothers insist on this. Surely my children are just bluffing but perhaps not in our new age of fast food and TV dinners. I’m sure I’ve read somewhere that eating at least one meal together as a family, makes for well adjusted human beings. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it. Never mind the fact that our mealtimes often resemble the table fight scene from the ‘Incredibles’ movie!
3. The children aren’t allowed a TV in their bedrooms. Otherwise, when they are teenagers, I may hardly see them. Besides it’s amazing what life lessons can be taught by watching an entire series of the’ Kardashians’ with your teenager.
4. Helmets must be worn when cycling. Why in the world is it considered cool to not wear a helmet? Clearly Education, Education, Education is not working on our impressionable offspring.
5. No sleepovers on a school night, unless in a dire emergency. Just to clarify, acceptable emergencies include; friends are without heating, electricity, water or a responsible parent for the night. End of!
6. At all times, I must be informed of where they are going, who they will be with, how they are getting there and what time I am to expect them home. Any changes to these plans during the course of the outing must also be relayed back to me. Just chill mum and stop being so nosey just don’t cut it! If my child goes missing, I want to be able to provide the Police with truthful, relevant information! (I have even given thought to photographing them in case something does happen and I can’t remember what they were wearing. I have decided however that this may be bordering on the neurotic so haven’t done it yet!)
7. All of the children have to pick up after themselves. Dishes put away, milk returned to the fridge, bikes put in the shed, dirty clothes in the laundry basket. If it’s on the floor of their bedroom, it doesn’t get washed! An 11 year olds PE clothes are even beyond the reach of Fabreeze after two wearings!
8. No additional piercings on body parts other than ears, until age 16. That’s my rule and I’ve stuck to it. Up until the age of 16, my teenager had just three ear piercings. On turning 16, she got her belly button done. Last week, she came back from the mall having got her tragus pierced. (Yes, I too have learned that the middle part of your ear which joins to the side of your face is called the tragus.) She marched into the kitchen to show me and seemed somewhat disappointed that I didn’t give her a lecture but said, ’Oh that looks nice,’ instead!
9. No tattoos until age 18! Only exception to this rule is if she gets all A’s on her GCSE results and then I have agreed that I’ll get inked as well! If this does happen, I shall pray that she has forgotten this promise. It seemed a long way off when this incentive slipped from my lips. I’ll keep you posted, yikes!
10. No adding anyone on Face book that they don’t know personally and preferably all adds are people I know and can verify that they are from suitable homes, with no police convictions and are generally good eggs! This rule seems to be working for my 11 year old but somehow my older teenager has acquired over 800 friends. When I broach the subject with her I am met with rolling eyes and” Puulease mother, I’m not an idiot. We’ve covered the safety aspects of the internet in a workshop at school.” Needless to say, I have my internet security settings adjusted to the highest level. It wouldn’t even let me on Face book one day!
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