6 Things that Most Parents Go Through When it Comes to Children...

Sometimes we are battling with so many things at home that we forget the difference between normal and abnormal.  I can tell you, from personal experience, some things that are normal parenting stuff. 

1.  Children will irritate you and there will be those moments where you feel like you are going to lose it.  What's normal is yelling, putting Johnny in his room or in a corner is also typical, and even spanking is common in many circles.  Some parents will feed "the problem" hoping that Suzie will shut up.  Other parents will buy whatever whenever hoping that the child will calm down enough so that they can catch a breath.  However, doing any of these things and others all the time--uh oh, you better hope you aren't creating a menace and worse no one calls the police on you!

2.  Sickness can't be avoided and some children are sicker than most.  But running your child to the hospital often?  Not normal.  You have to ask yourself, "Am I doing my job?  Is the hospital staff doing theirs?"

3.  Energetic children is all too common.  They jump, bounce, yell, make weird noises, have imaginary friends, and want to do odd stuff like smell stuff and dig for things.  Okay, acceptable.  But when these things are always happening all too frequently.  Someone is out of control.  It's either you, your child or both.

4.  Children lie.  I know parents don't want to believe it, but it happens.  They may lie or maybe forget.  Children may also say something, but leave out the details.  All normal.  But when they are doing this sort of thing all the time, you have to ask, "Who or what are they covering?"  Then again maybe there is some mental things going on, like a brain that is still developing for starters.  Watch closely and don't ever take every word as truth, if so, you will be sorry.

5.  Accidents.  From drink spills to pee-pee in the bed, this kind of stuff when it comes to raising children happens.  But, if everytime you look up this is going on, it's time to remedy this behavior as best you can.  Buy a Wet-Alert, this is a device that helps you help them keep the urine out of the bed over time.  If your child is constantly spilling something, don't give he or she much to drink and get a spill-free cup.  You might also want to consider where you are leaving your own drinks too.  Now let's say, accidents aren't this simple and they are the kind that you're ready to rip your child a new one!  Once again, responsibility falls on you.  The law doesn't want to hear how you repeatedly told your child not to play with lighters, even though you left your lighter sitting on the table, and the whole house burned down!

6.  They say and do things that would make you go, "What!?"  You aren't really a parent if those moments don't happen sometimes.  I know you thought you knew your son or daughter well.  I know you thought he or she would never, "Oh no, my child comes from a good home, she would never..."  But, they will and it won't be the only time either if you don't make a lasting memory that says, "If you ever do that $%^#& stuff again, I will %^$#& you!  Capice?"  Remember you were once a child, you may have not done the same thing, but you did something that left your parents scratching their heads.

So I hope this blog post makes you feel at ease.  Your child is normal.  But, if you see a pattern of behavior starting to develop, that doesn't look like the rest of the children, you have to ask yourself, "What did I bring into this world?  Now what help do they have out here to help my child?"  Don't look the other way or ignore the problem, do something now before the whole world knows, "Something is definitely wrong with that kid."

Nicholl McGuire
Author When Mothers Cry