The power of vacations and imperfect children #UniteMonday #ad

We partnered with Similac and were compensated for this post. All thoughts are our own. Our vacation just ended. It was an awesome experience at the beach where our kids learned to swim, mom and dad had a chance to relax and everyone’s diet went south, especially the children’s. By diet, I mean the food that they eat. At every corner it seemed that there was an ice cream store. To that end it’s time for a group hug, (albeit just a big larger than when we left) and say that it’s OK to bend the parenting rules from time to time.

What made our beach destination even more insidious, relative to our children eating candy, is that Hilton Head is home to one of coolest candy stores we’ve visited. They have loose candy of all sort and packaged candy that you thought they stopped manufacturing, plus some that you wish you’d never seen.

Our oldest was on the cusp of jumping into the deep end of the pool. We mentioned that if he jumped in then we could go to the candy store. Boom, he jumped in, then jumped in over and over. He swam across the pool a dozen times or so, then went to the shallow end and continued diving for his swimming rings. This was the same child that had to be bribed with a 2’ gummy alligator just to be slowly lowered into the pool where he could easily stand up.

His success meant that his younger brother felt the pressure to get in on the action. And to his credit he jumped off of the bottom step and ‘swam’ about 5’ to us. ‘Swam’ because it was a hybrid doggie paddle and Navy Seal swim. His head was out of the water just enough to where his nose and eyes were sticking out; yet his feet were not touching the bottom. If he had a fear of the water it was gone and his efforts had earned him a trip to the ice cream store.

This is where our children are in cahoots with each other. Our oldest is motivated by candy and our youngest is motivated by ice cream. Of course, once we get there the rewards go to both children. It’s a racket that they’ve clearly identified and they play us like a fiddle when we go away on vacation.

My wife and I had a similar conversation when we took our children out to eat. They behave like animals. They are the worst behaved children in the restaurant. These kids are embarrassing us and attract unwanted attention.

Our children aren’t evil when they go out to eat, they’re just being kids. Kids at the end of the day where they could be tired, irritable, can’t express themselves fully or simply aren’t hungry. People are looking at you. It’s the same thing when you’re on the airplane and your child makes the slightest noise. They’re judging me and looking our direction.

Even if they are, chill out. That is one of the goals of The Sisterhood of the Motherhood. As parents, my wife and I have stopped trying to imagine what circumstances those children or parents are going through. We simply give them a knowing look and sometimes tell them “We’ve been there”. We do that because someone did that to us when we were new parents and someone did that to us.

I forget exactly what they said, but it was along the lines of the fact that this time is short. The times when they’re disruptive, noisy or socially less than perfect are temporary.  Relish each time that they grab the doughnuts in the grocery store when you tell them not to. Try to enjoy it when they run manically run down the isle laughing like a semi-crazed, sleep deprived toddler.

So #UniteMonday. It’s not that we want our children to behave in a less than perfect way. But as parents we’ve been there or will be there. We are a fabulous resource pool for ideas-as long as we don’t step on the fingers of the person in front of us on the parenting ladder.

Have you got a story to share about parenting? If so, share it with #UniteMonday. Your bit of wisdom could be just the thing that someone who is entering the phase that you conquered is struggling with.