I would never...

Lately there's been lots of talk from mostly non-parents and parents alike about all the things they would never let their kid do. They would never take their eyes off their kids long enough to let them climb into a gorilla exhibit. Never mind if the mom was tending to another kid or taking a picture or having a baby melting down. Listen, kids can be jerks. They can be sneaky and it only takes 0.2 seconds to wonder WTH you were thinking leaving your house with them. I know. I question this often. They would never have let their kid be out at 9 pm to get snatched by a gator. Never mind that they WERE ON VACATION and isn't bed time supposed to be flexible on vacation? Never mind that the parents were RIGHT THERE.

Now you don't need to read another blog post about defending these 2 moms. I stand with them. I pray for them. I pray for the people who have such hate/spite/judgement for them. I pray for those who value an animal life over a human life. So I'm just going to put myself out there and admit to all the things I said I would "NEVER" do as a mom. The BEST parents are the ones who don't have kids OR have grown ones and forgot what the struggle is really like.

I said I would NEVER:

• Have my kid on a leash. Control them, I'd say. They should just listen to you, I'd say. Although Bri's time with one was short lived, I definitely needed it more than I thought I would. That kid would sprint on me. Often.
• A kid who needed to be rocked to sleep. Maybe because Ari is my 3rd and I'm so desperate for sleep, but we will do whatever it takes to get her to sleep. We have her in a rock n play that vibrates and she's almost 4 months. Breaking that will be awful, I'm sure.
• Have a kid who wouldn't eat what I made. Yet, God gave me Avi. World's pickiest eater who survives off hot dogs, mac n cheese, salami and a little piece of your soul. I kid about the last part (maybe).
• Have a kid who wouldn't take a bottle. Now this one, friends, is the one that bites me in the butt at least once a week. Ari has had a bottle since birth practically and she is very, very picky about when she'll take it. Yesterday, Adam called me home for the first time because she would not take the bottle. It smelled fine. Of course by the time I came home, she was asleep. Stinker. -__-
• Wear a baby unless we were out somewhere. Now, it's my favorite thing.
• Not have my kids on a schedule. I've said it before and I'll say it again, schedules=life. I thrive on schedules and routines and when they get messed up, I get messed up and overwhelmed. With Ari, I've definitely had to lessen my expectations. Sometimes we have a great schedule and she will still wake up once a night. Other times, I follow her lead and she will sleep through the night. Other times, it's the opposite. I just never know what I'm going to get with her. I'm learning to accept it.

The list goes on and on. You should know by now, never say never. You should also definitely never say you won't do or allow your kid to do this or that unless you're in the current stage that kid is in. Listen, I remember being judgy about older kids even when Bri was a baby! As the saying goes, "You think you know, but you have no idea". Now, mind ya business. Do you, boo boo and keep imagining that imaginary perfect kid you're going to have or do currently have but leave us, the ones who admit we are perfectly imperfect, alone. We already know we aren't doing things the "right" way. We are doing what we think is best for our families and it will look different than how you do it.

If you could walk a mile in my shoes...you'd run to the nearest vineyard and taste all the wines :-P. 

Thanks for reading.