Eat. Sleep. Poop. Play.
These are the essential things to know about kids. Well, my kids, at least. Yet parents, especially moms for some reason, can be shamed for literally any choice they make.
Store bought baby foods (making your own is so much better!). Making your own (too time consuming! Play with your baby instead!). Breastfeed (I hope you plan on doing it for a year, and I don’t want to be seeing that boob!). Formula (breast milk is best, you know. You just need to keep trying). Pumping (it’s easier to just put the baby on your breast!). No pumping (you should pump, give someone else a chance to feed the baby). Co-sleeping (you could crush the baby!). Sleep training (you do want the baby to sleep, don’t you?!). Rocking (careful, the baby is going to have to be rocked forever now!). Toys (I hope they’re appropriate for his/her age!). Too many toys (you’re spoiling the child!). Too few toys (kids need toys!). Potty training too early (it’s never going to work, you know). Potty training too late (why did you wait so long?!). Pull ups (may as well keep them in diapers!).
That’s not even a full list! Anyone else breathless after that?
Well, I don’t tolerate shaming. I will raise my children how I want and I guarantee you they will be happy.
I’m a practical mom. I meet their needs, I work with who they are as individuals. It might not make sense to an outsider, but it does to my family. So don’t go around shaming.
Eat
I breastfeed because I can. I offer baby foods and table foods to my infant, even when she had no teeth (she has 1 now). I feed yogurt and Mac and Cheese to my toddler everyday because he won’t eat anything else.
I could go on, but my point is that I feed my kids. Maybe it’s not always the best way or the best foods, but I get what I can into my stubborn little babies.
After all, shouldn’t kids just be fed? In a world where kids still starve everyday, I consider myself lucky to be able to feed my kids.
Sleep
You know what baffles me? All the “rules” about getting a child to sleep. Don’t rock the baby, don’t co-sleep, don’t nurse baby to sleep. Do sleep train, do put baby down awake, do have a separate bed. I’m sure there’s more.
My point is that a sleeping child should be a blessing, no matter how he or she gets to sleep. Besides, that baby is going to be 13 one day and will probably want their own bed and to be left alone by mom and dad!
I just get my kids to sleep any way I can. It won’t last forever. And, at the end of the night, all that matters is that they sleep!
Poop
Oh, potty training, how I hate you. You told me to try at age 2. He screamed and cried and thought I was punishing him. It did not go well. Why? He wasn’t ready!
He should be potty trained by 3 so he can go to preschool. Nope. He was almost 3.5 before I started. Took a week. He still prefers diapers, but at least he uses the potty consistently and has never had an accident!
All I really want is for my kids to use the potty. It’ll happen when they are ready. Again, they probably won’t want me changing their diaper when they 13!
Play
Kids just want to play and explore. As long as it’s safe, who cares if it’s a toy or a box or a piece of lint? They’re playing and exploring. And, if you’re lucky, they’re not complaining.
I just want my kids to play and learn to play together, though it’s fine if they don’t. Play is important since it’s how kids learn about themselves and the world. I’m not going to direct them.
So there you go. I just want my kids to eat, sleep, poop, and play. If they can do that, everything’s good.
After all, I’m a practical mom.
The Lily Cafe 
Just perfect! I am also sick of these rules, seems like you are always doing the wrong thing no matter how hard you try. People these days only want to be the judges of how you decide to live your life, when it comes to motherhood it’s even worse. It’s good to know more people are writing about so other moms will know they are not alone and that motherhood is different for each person. Loved the post, thank you for it!
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Thank you! I hate it when people tell me what to do, and even more so when it comes to my kids! Society needs to leave moms alone; we go through enough just trying to keep the kids alive. Parents need to be trusted to know what their kids need since they know them best. There will also never be a one, right way to do anything.
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I couldn’t agree more!! ❤️
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Yesssssssss! I can resonate with this post so much. As parents we do the best we can.
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That’s all we can do, right? Unfortunately, there are tons of people who seem to think otherwise. Parenting is hard enough; do we have to add gymnastics to it just to please everyone else (and make the kids grumpy)?
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Love this! My daughter is turning three soon and I keep thinking should she be potty trained by now, should I just force her to be? After reading this I realize it will be okay to just to wait till she is ready! My daughter is also a picky eater and will eat nothing but crackers, yogurt, and yogurt covered raisins. Don’t ask me why! Great article and thank you for writing this.
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Kids do things at their own pace. I’d rather keep the peace and work with who they are than force arbitrary societal standards on them. Toddlerhood is hard enough. Potty training is super easy when the kid is ready, and it’s easier on the ears! Oh, yeah, I forgot about the crackers…
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Reblogged this on Lyfe Unpacked and commented:
Hey Friends,
Check out this fantastic post by Kat from the Lily Cafe and while you are at it have a seat, drink some tea and enjoy a story or two. 🙂
Happy First Day of Spring! ❤
xo,
Iggy @ Lyfe Unpacked
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I’m not a mother yet but it’s crazy to me how much input people want to have in other’s parenting! Kid’s are resilient creatures. That’s probably a good thing, because none of us are perfect and child raising doesn’t come with a manual.
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Sometimes I wish there was a manual, but that would defeat individuality. It’s amazing how everyone thinks they can raise your kid better, and mind-boggling when it comes from childless people. No one has all the right answers, but kids have a way of bouncing back, so should it really matter if one way is better than another?
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I agree. Those are the most important thing. Every mom and child are different and we just have to do what’s best for us! Great post!
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Absolutely! Differences are what makes people individuals, which I want for my children more than anything else.
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I think this is one of the best posts on motherhood I’ve ever read! My kids are 10 and 7 now but I still remember all those stupid rules. They still exist now just different for these ages. If you’re not careful they can really stress you out.
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I’m so flattered; thank you! It’s so easy to fall into the trap of following the rules just to fit in with every other parent, but I wonder how it affects the kids. I’d rather raise happy kids following my own intuition than follow what the crowd does.
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Totally agree!
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So true!!
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