OYM Day 30: Trix Are For Winners
We learn some rules as children that we abide by our entire lives…taking them with us to our own roost and passing them down to our own.
- No dishes in the sink overnight.
- Leave a room as you found it.
- No slamming doors.
- Eat what’s for dinner, because after that, the kitchen’s closed.
I’ve stuck with those ones, so far.
- I keep my kitchen tidy and I feel a big sense of relief when I come downstairs in the morning and see things just as I left them: in their place and ready for service.
- Slamming doors feels great, but still, for some reason, I find it unnecessary.
- And cooking… it’s the worst part of parenthood so far. Best believe there won’t be options.
There are other rules, though, that I threw right into the trash the second I could.
- Finish one box of cereal before you open another? Why? Variety is the spice of life! I currently have 4, I repeat 4 boxes of open cereal in my pantry. I will sleep even better tonight knowing this.
- Dessert after a meal instead of first? Why? I let my kid eat cookies for breakfast if she wants and she will still demand carrots and squash with every meal. Why are we saving the best for last? Life is short. And maybe she thinks squash is the best. Who knows!
- No swearing? Why (the fuck) not?! I realize that was very, very low hanging fruit, but I really fucking mean it. Sometimes a good ol’ fashion shit or damnit or fuck’s sake really adds value to a sentence.
I guess I just wonder why we have most of the rules we do.
My child is only 2, but right now my rule is “if it’s not going to physically hurt her or others, she can do it.”
This doesn’t mean she can run around being a tyrant, but I believe she’s smart enough to figure it out, with time and her own experiences. She had one sip of bubbles a few months ago, and I could have stopped her, but she found out that it doesn’t taste good. And she hasn’t had a swig since. She’s a prodigy, right?!
What rules did you have growing up? Which have you kept and which did you do away with?
I hope this inspires you to open all the cereals you have. Be bold!
