I am a mean mom

Fact- being a mom is HARD work!
Fact- I have 3 very independent stubborn GIRLS! (and if you think a 10 mo old can't be like that I severely beg to differ and will prove you wrong!)
Fact- I DO discipline my children and expect them to behave, listen, and grow up to be respectable adults!

Scenario yesterday:
I took the girls grocery shopping with me later in the afternoon because earlier I had done something for myself and squeeze in 30 min at the gym- I would have gone longer, but the babes was being a difficult ones- shocker right?!! This is never a good idea to encroach on dinner time, but it had to be done. My 4 yr old was being an outright turd in the store. Have you ever seen those pics floating around the internet of kids in the bottom corner of a cart with the parents groceries piled on time of them.... yep that is what I felt like doing to her.

So fast forward to home about 2 hours later. Shopping trip was NOT fun for me. Dinner is about done and 4 yr old gets very dramatic because I tell her that even if she eats all of her dinner she DOES NOT get a popsicle because of her behavior in the store... cue instant meltdown. So then I'm the "mean mommy" as she likes to call me when she doesn't get her way. Tim asks her if she wants to live with us if I'm so mean and she says no. My child didn't want to live with me anymore- and even though I know that she doesn't mean it and it just frustrated and upset it absolutely breaks my heart.

 And now I definitely understand why so many parents don't "parent" anymore- it's much easier to be your child's "friend"....

Of course all is well this morning now. She is perky and cute again after a long sleep last night, but I have definitely had a big lesson thrown in my face...

The next 20+ years are going to be some of the hardest in your life, especially as these sweet spirits get older and even more independent and stubborn. I can always be a friend to my children, but I can NEVER stop being their PARENT!!! Yep that's right I said PARENT! And if my children don't like what I"m doing then that probably means that I'm doing something right.

So to all of the other "mean mommies" out there- GOOD JOB! Every single day- 24 hrs a day- we do some of the hardest work on earth! It is far from easy, but it is SO WORTH IT!