Last weekend, I had what I like to call a Good Parenting Moment. I was allowing Christopher, the toddler, to wander around me as I was building a pair of bookshelves in the driveway. Normally, I keep all harmful objects above chest level, so no children try to play with them (there are always swarms of kids playing on our end of the street whenever the temperature is above 40 degrees).
Clamping a saw guide onto a piece of plywood, I looked up. With an expression of pure joy on his face, Christopher was squirting long streams of Spectracide, a weed and grass killer, from a bottle he found. Luckily, the nozzle was pointing away from his face and the Spectracide was landing on the driveway. I lunged over to him and grabbed the bottle away from him. I’m still not sure where he got it — the bottle was left over from the previous owners, and all chemicals are five feet off the ground.
I would like to hear other people’s Good Parenting Moments. It will make all of us feel better about ourselves.
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Sorry ericbud, you don’t get any award if you’re going to use the language of PC Androgyny — “parenting.” Harumph.
I daren’t ask what the bad parenting moments are like! <grin>
Ive got one.. actually plenty having 6 boys.. but I’ll give you one that didn’t involve me! (shhh)
I had a dr appt and left my husband at home with the thne 4 childre. The youngest was about 15 mos old. next was 3,4 and 7.
1/2 hour after I left, sitting in the drs office the cell phone rings and I hear “honey, you need to come home right now.” click.
Iknew fromthe tone of the voice, I needent call back, my presense was REQUIRED.
The 20 minute drive home was uneventful. Mom walks in the door hearing screaming- not from one, but from all 4 boys!
The 15mo old had a huge cut under his eye and was bleeding- definately needed stitches.
Husbands story: I was in the kitchen and he was standing on top of a toy and slipped and cut his eye somehow..
Mom’s story– He was playing unsupervised and dad was napping on the couch and dad doesnt REALLY know how it happened.
Guess who’s story was on the mark? I prob wouldve beleived him if he said they were wrestling and something like his belt buckle caught sons eye. lol
Needless to say.. HE took him for stitches (6 of them)
A shining moment… Have had plenty of those..Orgh ;-)
Not a parenting moment, but I sprayed myself in the face (open-mouthed I believe) with Raid when I was about 11, and really panicked about whatever bug I was supposed to be aiming at. I washed out my mouth and was okay. Not sure what happened to the bug.
Victor, “fathering” has an entirely different connotation than “parenting.” I don’t think I’d describe fathering my children, at least not in public.
Yvonne, I will bring up your story the next time I am accused of neglectful supervision!
6 yr old daughter, Isabella, and 3yr old son, Frank.
Just bought loft bed for Isabella and put it together. Ladder is built in, but rungs are too far apart for Frank to climb (I innocently, if foolishly, think).
1 1/2 hrs after putting it together, Frank has decided that climbing up was a lot of work. So, he’ll use gravity to help him get down. I walk into the room as he is in mid-air, descending rapidly. He lands on his feet and continues on his back. “Ha, ha. Owww. Ha, ha, that was fun!”
Dad applies for a line of credit at the local emergency room…