Parenting 101: You WILL Screw Up

Parenting 101: Iâ??m going to try something a little different in this post. I read a lot of parenting related articles and most of them are in the parents section of the Huffington Post online. I donâ??t read them to try and learn anything other than hearing other peopleâ??s opinions. I also glance through there to see if I can grab any ideas to write about.

That said, I thought I post a few links to articles I read that I had a strong reaction to.

The first one is this one (from the Huffington Post) is titled, â??Why We Post Nothingâ??Nothingâ??About Our Kid Online. You Should Do The Same for Your Kidsâ?.

My opinion: I will do whatever I want. Obviously we have chosen to post things on this blog and on little dudeâ??s Facebook page about him and our life with him. If itâ??s not your cup of tea than donâ??t post stuff about your kid but donâ??t tell me what I should or shouldnâ??t be doing. This article talks about the future anonymity of these kids that have stuff posted about them online.

I hate to break it to you but anonymity went out the window years ago. Our kid is growing up IN the digital age and will be more entrenched in it than I ever will be because he will be starting so soon. Hell, he already knows the camera noise of my iPhone and giggles when he sees his own photo on the screen. My attitude is that we need to be safe but I will not live like a hermit. Bad stuff happens no matter how anal retentive you are. Lighten up.

The second one (from the Huffington Post) is titled, â??8 Ways Screens Are Ruining Your Familyâ??s Lifeâ?.

My opinion: I agree with numbers 5 through 8 for the most part but to say DO NOT put your child in front of a screen, everâ?¦is crap to me. This is the world we live in. Screen time is not going to internet online casino turn your child into a murderer or high school dropout. As with everything, life is about moderation. If your baby/ toddler/ teenager has moderate time in front of a screen as well as outside time, friends time, reading time, and so onâ?¦it is likely they will be just fine. At the end of the day itâ??s about loving your children and disciplining them. Itâ??s about being there for them and teaching them accountability. I get tired of the â??extremistâ? viewpoints.

The third one (from The Atlantic) is titled, â??The Overhyped Rise of Stay-at-Home-Dadsâ?.

My opinion: This one simply interested me because I am a work from home dad. Iâ??ve definitely read articles that talk about this huge increase in stay at home fathers but this data seems to show a rather insignificant increase. No real opinion on this other than itâ??s cool to see dads taking a more hands on role in the household.

At the end of the day I know these publications are trying to get people to their websites. Often times this is done by having pretty hardcore headlines or having someone write a very opinionated article. I get that but there is, however, a real world we all live in. That real world involves little human beings that rely on us for all the basics in life. My hope is that when we read some of this crap we are doing so with an open mind but also with the realization that YOU know whatâ??s best for YOUR child and YOUR family.

I put Sammy in front of a laptop to watch Baby Signing videosâ?¦am I going to hell for that? Will he grow up to be a murderer? If he does maybe his TV name will be the Baby Signing Bandit or something. The point is that none of us knows what our kids will grow up and do. What we do know is that right this very minute we just need to love them, care for them, and simply do the best that we can.