Parenting what do I know?

Robert and I talk a lot about what kind of parents we want to be and what our job is as parents. We were both raised differently. He was raised with a firm hand and well lets just say I was spoiled. I know from my experience growing up that when I stepped out into the world at 17 I had no clue what I was doing, because the lessons I needed to learn about how to survive on my own where not taught to me. So I struggled. My husband on the other hand moved out at 18 went to school full time and worked full time. He knew how to make it in the world on his own.

We talk about how we are raising our kids and what we want for them. We both know that we don’t want to spoil them to the point that they are like I was, but we also don’t want to be over firm with them if that makes sense. People give us parenting advice and we listen and take it in. Not saying we do everything people tell us to do. We take what people tell us and we mold it to fit our views on being parents.  This is one job that didn’t come with a manual, everyone has a different way of doing it.

Robert and I believe that are success as parents is measured by how are children respond to the world when they are grown up and move out. If our children can move out and function on their own as productive members of society than we have done are job. If not than we didn’t. Don’t get me wrong how our children act and behave as children is a reflection of our parenting, but what they do when they are grown is even more so.

It is our job as a parent to prepare our children for the world. If you give your children everything they want and do everything for them all the time how are they going to function in society when they get older. We as parents have to teach them what their role in society is. We have to teach them that once they get out on their own they don’t get everything handed to them. They have to work for what they want, at the same time we have to teach them that they have responsibilities and that those responsibilities come before their wants.

By the time my children turn 18 and go off to collage or move out on their own, they should know how to clean a house, how to do dishes, how to do their laundry, how to manage money, how to balance a check book, how to pay bills, how to take care of their car. Both of my children should be able to take care of themselves with out having to depend on someone else.

Robert and I hold our children to a certain standard. We expect nothing less than their best. I am not saying that we push them hard or drive them hard. We just expect the best out of them, because we want them to expect the best out of themselves when they get older. We do not want our children to settle for mediocre.  We want them to strive to always be their best and do better.

We want our children to be independent adults.

With all that said what do you think measures your success as a parent