Have you noticed that on the mom journey we have encountered many debates and I don't mean debating with our children to go to bed or do their homework I mean from day 1 to breast feed or to formula feed, to use a pacifier or not,, the big schooling question public, private or home school, to allow my child to sleep over at others homes, how many activities to allow them to participate in, to provide my child with a cell phone and at what age, what movies they can watch what books they can read, at what age can they date, should they have their own car, and the parent debate continues on and on while raising our children
I often wonder if we have been pre-warned about the many debates, the many insecurities, the many trials and errors we would encounter as moms if we would have signed up for the position.
Today, I journey the debate of where my puzzle boy should attend school in the fall. Which school would be the best place for his success? I have loved our local public elementary school, the staff, the parents and their students. However, I can only question myself if it is the best fit for him. Are they meeting his needs? Would we find greater success in another school that is designed for children like our puzzle boy? Would our puzzle boy benefit by changing schools? Would we see rapid growth both is his academics and socially?
The Parent Debate....Making decisions without knowing what the outcome will be requires me to put my faith in God and trust that he will give us guidance and peace as we continue the journey.
What has been your biggest debate along the mom journey?
What are you currently debating?
I think it is natural for parents to doubt and question themselves - that's what makes us good in the end. My husband and I made the decision to drop out of life as we and everybody else expected to ride our bicycles from one end of the world to the other. It's the best decision we ever could have made!
ReplyDeleteYes, there have been times when the journey was hard and there were times when I looked at my sons and wondered what in the heck I was thinking when I made that decision so long ago. But most of the times I see the joy in my sons' faces and know we are doing them right!
Nancy
www.familyonbikes.org
I can definitely relate to you on that one! I can certainly agree that relying on God and putting our faith in Him is the only way to parent (at least for our family). I am thankful God has made the right choices so clear to me (with breastfeeding and homeschooling). But I know what you mean, there is always a day when you are faced with yet another decision to make on behalf of this little human you have the responsibility to raise! There is no end in sight!
ReplyDeletehttp://eco-babyz.com
Right now the biggest debate I have is the fine line between teaching them about the potential hazards of the world ( like stranger-danger issues) and letting them experience life, make mistakes and dusting themselves off and trying again.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest debate is my 9th grader wants to go to public school this year, he is currently homeschooled.
ReplyDeleteTo let him go or not is the big question. I have heard from other homeschooling moms that sometimes a certain childs personality does better in a public school.
I just want whats best for him in the long run. Thats my debate. Have lost lots of sleep over this one.
I agree with "Family on Bikes" who said that questioning and debating issues pertaining to our children is what makes us better parents. And as Mari suggests, it is always a balancing act, with pros and cons to consider. As a parent of five children, I am constantly in a state of debate. But recently, I have joined forces with an organization called Every Child By Two to help educate parents who find themselves confused by the vaccination debate. Unfortunately, immunizations are greatly debated, but history shows, and science proves, that vaccines save lives. If you know someone who is struggling with this issue, suggest that they visit http://www.vaccinateyourbaby.org/ to get the facts or they can join me in a blog conversation at http://shotofprevention.com.
ReplyDeleteMy biggest struggle has been between working full time vs. staying home with my two young ones. Right now, I'm working and bringing home the insurance benefits for our familiy, trying to support my husband in his efforts to start his own business.
ReplyDeleteOur hope is that I'll be home with our kids when they start school. But I find I'm so torn on whether it's okay to spend 40-plus hours a week away from kids that I was almost too ashamed to share my POV.
As always, thought provoking discussion f/24/7 moms.
Laura P.
@fatwallet
Laura P.