Being a parent is no easy task. Every day, parents are faced with decisions that they must make either for their kids or how they will parent. It’s no wonder we’re stressed out with all of the decisions to be made. From the mundane every day tasks like deciding what to feed your kids to the more long-lasting decisions like choosing their names. It’s no wonder we often regret many of these decisions.
A recent survey by the parenting site mumsnet revealed that 1 in 5 mothers regret the name they gave their children. Which is sort of a big deal because a name is forever! I also happen to believe that your name is a representation of who you are and your personality. I always thought Maya was a very appropriate for me. In the same token, I don’t have any regret with the names I gave my kids.
However, I do have tons of other regrets when it comes to the decisions I’ve made for my kids. Just this week, I had two of them.
For the past few weeks, the boys have been sleeping-in in the mornings. Normally, this is not something that I would complain about, rather I’d welcome it with open arms. The problem arose when John was away for work and I had to handle the mornings, including two separate school drops-offs, on my own. I let them sleep in because I figured they needed it and it would provide them with the energy and stamina to make it through the day without being grumpy. So when eventually woke Kyle and Ryan shortly after 8 AM, you can say I was a little stressed and pressed for time. That’s because we have to leave the house at 8:25! To say the least, I was a stress case, yelling and commanding the kids to do a lot of things in a short period of time. Not a fun way to wake up for anyone involved. The morning ended with all but one of us (Nate) crying at one point or another. I regretted the decision to let them sleep in and I vowed to never do that again! From now on, 7:30 AM wake ups for everyone, no matter how tired. They can just go to bed earlier!
Two years ago, when Kyle started Junior Kindergarten, we (mostly my husband) made the decision to bring him home for lunch. WORST DECISION EVER! I was dragging a toddler and a newborn back and forth with me (for a 1 km + walk) every lunch time. Add winter, missed naps, and one very tired mom! To say the least, I vetoed that plan when he started Senior Kindergarten the following year. This year, as he started grade 1, Kyle has been asking me if I could take him out for lunch as a special treat. I thought I would do just that on Friday. Even before we left the school, I immediately regretted the decision. The boys were whining, complaining and fighting. This was NOT the fun adventure I had envisioned in my mind when I made my decision. I pretty much told Kyle to soak it in because I wouldn’t be taking him out for lunch again for A LONG TIME!
Ultimately I guess, making decisions that you regret is just a part of parenting! Luckily, I’m happy that so far, the decisions that I’ve regretted are the irrelevant ones in the grand scheme of things. I don’t think I’ve messed up my kids… too much at least.
I think it is very common for kids to not like the name they were gien. I myself have made some errors I wish I could go back and change and maybe be a little more assertive. When you have a special needs you have to be the one to stand up for them. I did learn that fast years ago. BUT should have from the very start. Those are regrets to me BUT it all worked out