Parenting

When I was a young parent I tried my best, as most young and new parents do. I never palmed off my weeks old children with friends overnight, and druggy friends at that. I overly watched them when out playing in the streets, never leaving them unsupervised, escpecially at just 5 years old being allowed roam the streets while I just sat indoors. My kids were fed regualrly, and not pusnihed by not having dinner or tea, nor punished by being not allowed drinks. Nor were they punished by not allowing them access to grandparents, punishment at worst in my eyes is not going play with friends for few hours. And I did not and stll don’t believe in smacking. My kids were not sent to bed at 6.30 pm regardless of time of year, in particuilar in summer, on those long. warm joyous summer evenings when the sounds of childrens laughter filled the air outside. Nor in the long dark winter nights, when even adults get fearsome, my kids were not in bed without a light or lightbulb in their room, for when they needed escape the scary dark. And when possible during school holidays, if finances permitted, we took them on days out, or the odd holiday or two. Maybe the days out were only to local park, playing football or going for bicycle rides but they were given appropriate things to do, supervised, loved and nurtured. Yes there were bad times, low times, but nothing severe as the lies being told would have you believe. Now all the above made me a bad parent apparently, now I wonder what the amazing parents of the century are doing with their kids? The total reverse of the above. That makes them better parents than I will ever have been. I tried and often failed, but you have to try to fail. So they will never be a failure because they don’t try and don’t put any effort into it in the first place. It seems the more you try your best for your children the more they only remember that bad things. But surely in time if there are more or only bad times in a child’s life, then they will only have bad memories at all to think back on. Without any glimmer of a nice, pleasant, fun time in their precious short lived childhood. As a young parent I was untrained and everything was new to me, but over time I learned, and hopefully became less useless at parenting. But surely with all the help and the modern life we have now, bad parenting should actually be a thing of the past. I loved my kids, still do, and would allow them to be loved and love back people that mean something in their lives. To deny this love back and forth is dereliction of parenting duties and responsibilities, at least I believe it to be so, but then I stupidly overly care and love outwardly, wear my heart on my sleeve. So maybe I am in the wrong or the minority in this, but I won’t change my beliefs or principles, which were mostly instilled by my parents.