Torrential rain flooding run

[Egluntyne]

You are right Bronze.

 

No two children are the same and every aspect of your relationship with your child, whether he is 2 or 22 is a learning experience for both of you.

 

So maybe I'm a new mum too...mine are 26,22 and 18.

[Guest]

I am always so grateful that I have children with strong characters. it's helpful to think of it like that sometimes. I too would find it difficult to understand the wimpy, cry-if-anyone-looks-at-you sort! (I hope i'm not offending anyone here!)

 

Gina, thank you for your lovely comment about my children. My mother always said 'if you're going to misbehave, do it at home not in public'. I really understand that now! We all have lovely children (yes, really!) but there can be times when it is difficult to remember that and mine are no different. We have really been through the mill with our eldest on many occasions and I yearn to find again that best friend that I had for the first 3 years of her life. I am reassured that the next 2 have been relatively easy so far. DS is also quite hard work but in a different way.

 

You're absolutely right Bron that we are all learning all the time. Every stage is new and even if you've been there before, it's with a different person so not the same at all.

[Snowy]

That is the thing with children, they are all so unique. So every parent's experience is unique, with some things in common! I've never had a 16 year old before, so that is a huge learning curve. I have had a 5 year old and a three year old before, but never at the same time, and they are all different personalities. Different things stimulate them, they want to watch different things on telly, play with each other, play alone etc. So there is no one way to do it, just a set of vague guidelines that have worked for someone somewhere along the line. But never forget that your relationship with your children is so special, no one else can do it but you! And all you can do is your best, with love.

[Sheilaz]

.... I never read any parenting books so have gone into it completely by gut and I think thats the only way you can do it.

 

Plus if you're not sure... ask then you'll get 10 different answers and realise that one suits you and you'll be back to going with your gut again anyway....quote]

 

I think this is one of the soundest pieces of Motherhood thinking that I've ever read.

 

Gina, it may also be that MIL just wants everything to be OK, & can't cope with the thought that you might find things hard, and therefore blanks it out instead of acknowledging it.

 

Being pregnant & a Mum is incredibly hard work & you're doing a fab job!

 

I've taken several decades to have the confidence to believe that it doesn't matter what others think, be true to yourself!

 

Try to look for the good things tomorrow & see if you become Happy Mummy.

 

Happy mummy = happy boy....happy boy = happy mummy

 

I hope so! If not, pop along here, we understand!

[Cinnamon]

I'd rather have a screaming baby than a stroppy teenager any day of the week.

 

At least with the screaming baby you know where it is!

 

 

HA!

I hear you Egluntine

 

My eldest can be a real moo when she wants - nasty,spiteful,ungrateful & mean.

Of course when she is having a good day she is delightful,but you never know if a day is going to be a good one or not...........................

[Snowy]

I'd rather have a screaming baby than a stroppy teenager any day of the week.

 

At least with the screaming baby you know where it is!

 

 

HA!

I hear you Egluntine

 

My eldest can be a real moo when she wants - nasty,spiteful,ungrateful & mean.

Of course when she is having a good day she is delightful,but you never know if a day is going to be a good one or not...........................

 

I'm just discovering the delights of teenagers! I'm very fortunate to have a lovely, laid back 16 year old boy, who is very much his own person but has never really shown any signs of wanting to be independent from Mum yet! But last night he went to help out at the local AmDram club pantomime and when he came home he started getting text messages. For the first time ever, he won't tell me who they are from! I'm stunned - it's obviously a girl, and he's being very coy But I need to know who it is!! Oh no, I'm going to be the mother-in-law from hell myself!

[Ain't Nobody Here]

- it's obviously a girl, and he's being very coy But I need to know who it is!! Oh no, I'm going to be the mother-in-law from hell myself!

That happened to me last year! Found out from someone else that my darling 15 yr old had a girlfriend . 24 hour texting followed but he then got invited to her house (25 miles away ) so I had to drive him . Met girlfriend & parents, saw house (bigger & nicer than ours ). A month later he dumped her by text because she clung like a limpet at school and he never got to spend time with his pals .

[Egluntyne]

Oh no, I'm going to be the mother-in-law from hell myself!

 

Never in a million years....you are far too laid back for all that!

 

The signs are there that a girl might be on the horizon.

 

Is peeping at his text messages as bad as reading someones diary?

[hillfamily]

Gina - just caught up with this thread- being a mum is the hardest job in the world.

 

There is no pay,no holiday, no redundancy package, no time off for good behaviour, no flexi-time. You're on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Depending on their age and mood they'll give you a reference varying from 'Love Mama' to '**** off'.

 

Each Stage is completely different, at the moment I have a son who's nearly 16 .... well I think I have a son - there's music blasting from his room and sometimes this thing appears and grunts and then goes back Charlie (14 in 5 days) has a grumpy, moody, ungrateful, rude twin - somedays lovely Charlie appears, other days it's her evil twin. Always best to establish early in the day which Charlie she is

 

Parenting has one of the steepest learning curves and just when you think you've mastered it and got everything under control the little angels change

 

Sending you (((((Big Hugs)))))

[Tessa the Duchess]

Is peeping at his text messages as bad as reading someones diary?

 

It's worse Not only are you prying into your child's private life, you are also prying into correspondence from a complete stranger Do not do it.

My mum read my diary when I was a teenager and I was livid and hated her for it. Loved her again when I grew up a bit more

 

Tessa

[Egluntyne]

Is peeping at his text messages as bad as reading someones diary?

 

It's worse Not only are you prying into your child's private life, you are also prying into correspondence from a complete stranger

 

Don't worry Tess ....I wouldn't dream of it.....having had a mother who wanted to control every aspect of my life including my thoughts!

 

I'm not clever enough to fathom out other peoples phones anyway!

 

Young people have to learn by their mistakes. When you have teenagers all you can do is love them, guide them and catch them when they fall!

 

Pass me a screaming baby someone, quick!

[Tessa the Duchess]

Young people have to learn by their mistakes. When you have teenagers all you can do is love them, guide them and catch them when they fall!

 

'Tis true. The teenage years with my sons, which seemed to go on for ever were definitely the worst part of the 'bringing up children'

experience. I never stopped loving them however bad it got, but I told them both frequently that I did not like them very much because of their behaviour The hardest thing for parents is watching your children making huge mistakes and being powerless to do anything about it

 

Tessa

[Snowy]

Don't worry, I would never dream of reading his messages (I might be tempted to sneak a peak at who they are from though ). Oh this is so frustrating - it has to be a girl doesn't it? For a teenager he's normally very conscientious about showering - but every day???