As a parent, I view it as my job to share my wisdom with my children. You see, I’ve learned a few things in over three and a half decades on this planet. I believe that if I share these lessons with my offspring I’ll be able to save them some time and grief, because they won’t have to learn it all for themselves. I’ll be a superstar parent, and my kids will be all happy and healthy and well-adjusted and stuff, because their mother is so very wise.
It’s a lovely picture. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way, though. As any parent can tell you, there are some things that kids simply insist on learning the hard way. You can talk and warn until you’re blue in the face, but they need to experience those natural consequences in order to really get it. And when they do experience those natural consequences, you have to swallow the urge to say I told you so, and soothe their grief. Because, as it turns out, learning things the hard way is hard.
Here are some of the things my own children have insisted on learning the hard way, in spite of my attempts to warn them:
- If you let go of your balloon outside, it will very quickly disappear up into the sky, and you won’t be able to get it back.
- If you show a dog your ice cream cone / peanut butter sandwich / cookie, the dog will eat it.
- Once you cut hair off, there’s no putting it back on.
- If you leave the lids off all your markers, they will dry out and you won’t have any good markers left.
- If repeatedly chase the cat, and pull her fur, she will scratch you, and it will hurt.
- If you throw your electronic toy in the bath, it will never work the same way again.
I’m sure my kids aren’t the only ones who sometimes insist on learning things the hard way. What lessons have your kids learned on their own, in spite of your warnings?
amberstrocel
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I agree with all except the last one. There was this one time one of my kids wanted to bring an annoying McDonalds toy into the bath. I was like “No, that can’t go in the bath because… hey you know what? I think it’s a really good idea for that to go in the bath. Go get your Shrek, too!” Seriously, it’s not a bad thing for some toys to be silenced.
Twitter: AmberStrocel
says:
BAHAHAHAHAHA!
Twitter: Nicole013
says:
Well, the poptart knows exactly why she shouldn’t touch the inside of oven when I say, “No touch! Hot!” despite repeated warnings. She also knows why she shouldn’t run in the bathroom, on the linoleum, immediately after a shower/bath and before drying her feet.
I do like that trick about the Silence of the Toys however.
Nicole’s last post … Open Letter to Premier Clark: Less talk, more do
This lesson is relearned (and unlearned) daily: if you keep grabbing and smothering your baby brother (with love of course) he’s going to pull your hair. Hard.
Great idea about the annoying noisy toy!
-Dana
Dana’s last post … Day of Atonement (and two healthy GF treats)
Twitter: bluebirdmama
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My daughter is really attached to a certain fleece blanket that she calls nanu. When she was 2, she insisted she wanted to bring it in the tub for her bath. We gave in and let her. It was quite the sight seeing it all sodden in the bath. She was very happy in the bath. Then she got out of the bath and wanted it for bedtime, of course, and was hysterical to learn that it was too wet to bring to bed. She never asked to bring her nanu in the bath again.
Alison @ BluebirdMama’s last post … Home Again
Twitter: bubbles3563
says:
I am still learning the one about the hair, and I’m 31!
My daughter is only 6 months old, so I’m at the stage where I’d love to be able to explain things to her, but there’s no point; so she wears her bib as a cape, and I change her clothes when they become wet with dribble, whilst the bib is bone dry and keeping her back warm!
Vicky’s last post … Savilegate: My 2 Pence Worth