Is it a sin to be upset with kids and puppies?

[BrotherEastman]

Originally Posted by Ferd

.... the straw that breaks, my friend, the straw that breaks...

My son almost did last night, sheeeeesh!

[Ron]

Originally Posted by Pressing-On

You are right, tstew. Just called my Vet and they said you start the Parvo shots at 6 weeks!

Off to cook.......

What's for dinner, Hot Dogs??

[rgcraig]

You can tell it's late Friday afternoon!

[Ron]

I remember 3 & 1/2 years ago when my father in law passed away in the Philippines & my wife had to jump on a jet and go home for two & a half weeks.
I managed all right, but when my wife was about a week from coming home, my two girls came down with the stomach flu!
It was horrible as bot ends were affected!

I ran the washing machine pretty near all night while I prayed for my wife to come home soon!

Thankfully stomach flu only lasts 24-48 hours!

It was a very long time!

[Rico]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

Almost 15 months.

They are so much fun at that age. My kids were very clingy to us at that age. They didn't want anyone else holding them but us. I sure miss my babies being that small. *sigh*

[BrotherEastman]

Originally Posted by Rico

They are so much fun at that age. My kids were very clingy to us at that age. They didn't want anyone else holding them but us. I sure miss my babies being that small. *sigh*

My son is clingy to mom, not me (although he will allow me to hold him and not anyone else). I know I should be more adult than I am, but sometimes I get a little hurt whenever he sees mom and would rather be in her arms. I wonder if I'm doing anything wrong as far as being a parent.

[Scott Hutchinson]

I have a 15 yr old daughter and I wonder what am I doing wrong as a parent ?

[Rico]

Originally Posted by Ferd

.... the straw that breaks, my friend, the straw that breaks...

I guess this is where I differ in my approach with my children. I don't let their misbehavings pile up until they get one spanking for all the things they've done wrong up to that point. I've gone that route before and realized it really isn't fair to them to operate in that fashion. If they do something worthy of a whipping (which really happens very rarely), they get the whipping and then the offense is forgiven and forgotten on my part. I didn't always do things this way. I did things the way you are describing for a big part of my son's life, though. Being a parent has a learning curve with it too, and we all learn as we go. There are things the younger ones do that they don't get into trouble for like their older brother and sister did.

[Rico]

Originally Posted by BrotherEastman

My son is clingy to mom, not me (although he will allow me to hold him and not anyone else). I know I should be more adult than I am, but sometimes I get a little hurt whenever he sees mom and would rather be in her arms. I wonder if I'm doing anything wrong as far as being a parent.

I wouldn't say you are doing anything wrong. Mommy is the primary care giver, so it's only natural for him to gravitate towards her. Eventually he will figure out which parent says "Yes" the easiest and he will go to that parent for permission to do the things he wants to do. Kids can be pretty sneaky that way.


As for whippin your kids, this is my advice. Believe me when I tell you that it took me several years of being a parent before I learned this. Children need to understand that what they did would be wrong before they did it, in order for me to really punish them for it. I remember I was giving my son a whippin for something, he looked at me while it was happening, and it dawned on me he really didn't understand that what he had done was wrong. I bet I cried more over having spanked him that day than he did for getting the spanking. It really changed my approach to disciplining my children.

I am not picking on you with what I am about to say, Brother Eastman, but there is no way I would give a 15 month old a spanking for what he did to your wallet. He only did what comes naturally to a child of his age. Right now he's learning by using all of his senses, and sticking something in his mouth is one of the main ways he learns. He had no concept of the value of the wallet or its contents. Nor did he understand that he isn't supposed to touch it. He just saw something within his reach and he wanted to investigate it. So, he took everything out of his new toy and proceeded to taste it and chew on it. Perfectly normal behaviour for a 15 month old. If he were 5 and had done it, then I could see him getting some form of discipline over it. Five year olds have the capacity to know not to touch Daddy's wallet. So, what I am saying is that I believe it's imperative to take into account a child's intent and his ability to understand that what he is doing is wrong before a whipping is in order. Just some hard earned advice. I think back now to some of the spankings I have given my son and oldest daughter and wish I could go back and do it differently than I did.

[Rico]

Originally Posted by Scott Hutchinson

I have a 15 yr old daughter and I wonder what am I doing wrong as a parent ?

Brother, what I have learned with my 16 year old son is that communication is key. There have been times that something was eating at him, and I've had to practically make him tell me what it was. These kids are going through so many changes in their lives, while in these teen years, that it's easy for them to go into a shell of sorts and shut their parents out. They don't realize that their parent's advice and guidance is what they need most at this stage of their lives. That wall is tough to break through, but you can break through it.