I'm a homeschooler, I'm an un-schooler, I'm classical, I'm Charlotte mason, I'm eclectic, I'm traditional, I'm natural, Im steiner, blah blah blah
I'm a meat eater, vegetarian, pesectarian, octovegatarian, vegan, raw vegan, raw foodist, fruitatarian...
Why do we do this? Is it to prove that I'm better than you? That I'm doing things right and your doing things wrong? That I am doing my child a service and your setting yourself up for failure?
Or is it so I can say that I love my children more than you love yours because you do things differently to me?
Or is it to prove to myself that i am doing a better job then your doing? That my children will turn out better then yours and yours will just give you heart ache?
When you label your parenting style are you restricted to just that method or are you allowed to wander out of the defined perimeters when you feel it necessary to suit your families needs.
If your school style is classical are you allowed an excursion and to do no reading or maths and allow a child's natural curiosity to learn take place?
If you unschool are pencils and paper allowed?
If you do it once does that automatically require you to switch your label?
If I'm a vegetarian and I accidentally eat meat am I still a vegetarian? If I knew it was meat and ate it am I still a vegetarian?
Is it about conscience decision? Or accidental? Or according to what book I learnt from or who's blog I read.
Could you consider me a neglectful parent if I didnt baby wear today? What if I didn't do it all week? What of my kid slept in its own bed but I still put them in the pouch in the day time.
Attachment parent are you saying im not gentle because I don't always cuddle my children and let them scream it out?
Authoritarian parent are you telling me I'm too free and not strict enough in what I'm doing cos I do what I feel best in the situation at hand?
Where do you draw the line between the different types of styles and how can you label yourself one, two, three or four different ones? How long do you have to do it before the label is a stickable one?
If I pick one do I have to stick to it?
In the end, these arguments that take place are fruitless, they serve no purpose,.
When do we get to stop assuming that because others do it different and their kids are different to ours that the parents don't actually love their kids.. Or my biggest pet hate 'they don't deserve to have kids'.
Let's remember that bad kids can be born to good parents and good kids can be born to bad parents.
Let's remember, there's only one boat and we are all on it.
Let's remember, that everyone wants to be loved and respected and that includes parents with all labels.
5 things I am thankful for:
1. Knowing who I am and not being swayed by labels and opinions of others
2. Assuredness that comes from knowing that I love my kids and am doing the best I can with what I've got at this given point in time
3. The grace and mercy that comes WHEN I stuff up (I can admit that)
4. Being a patent to these four glorious little kids
5. Modern cloth nappies.. Random, I know ;)
Be as blessed as I am xx
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