Parenting Tips from a “Seasoned” Parent
I consider myself a seasoned parent. Not a perfect parent – far from it, but I have raised three children who I am very proud of! Proud of, because they are caring, productive members of society. And they’re my kids and I just love them – right?
And as a seasoned parent, I know some things we did in our house that worked or were fun or just created amazing memories and I thought I’d share them with you!
Potty Talk
I fully realize times have changed since I had my oldest (he’s nearing 24!), but some things don’t change…like potty talk!
Boys especially like to use potty talk! I don’t know what it is about saying “poop”, but it can make any boy laugh! And potty talk definitely happened at my house. And I tried all the things, ignore, put them in time out, take something away, but one thing I did worked the best.
Our kids were only allowed to say potty words in the…BATHROOM! They could say as many potty words as they wanted in the bathroom.And if they felt the urge to use a potty word, they could go to the bathroom and say them!
Now, I’m not saying this completely ended potty talk at our house, but it really helped!
Jumping on the Bed
We also had a rule about jumping on beds. And I know what you’re thinking – you always ask my kids to jump on the bed at our in-home sessions – and, yes, I do. And all I can say is THANK YOU! But, you could adapt this and make an exception when I’m photographing your family (hint, hint).
Jumping on beds was reserved for hotel rooms ONLY.
Yes, all those hotel guests below us over the years hated us! But the first thing my boys would do when they got to a hotel room is jump on the beds! Hotels are fun, but this made them even more fun and it saved out mattresses at home.
Quick story, one year we were in California for Easter. We had just gotten back from Easter lunch with old friends from Germany and I dozed off while the boys were watching something on tv. I woke up to shaking and immediately told the boys to stop jumping, but guess what? They weren’t jumping! It was an earthquake!
Back to the list.
Video Games
Video games weren’t a huge thing when my kids were little, but we did eventually get a Wii (remember those) in 2006. And as soon as we got it, we realized we had to establish some rules.
And that’s how video games only on weekends came about. Friday after school until Sunday before bed. That was it! My youngest used to refer to them as “Wii-days”!
It worked. Limited the video games and kept us all a little more sane.
Full disclosure, this changed as they got older, but we kept limits on them and overall screen time for years.
Those are just a few of the things my husband and I did to keep things in control! But, I’d love to hear what works for you and your family. Drop it in the comments.
And if you want to have me document your family jumping on the bed, reach out!
