Parenting

I do things as a parent that my parents did that I found so annoying as a child, but I still do them! One example is when my kids are being rude I will say "Why do I hear how nice and what good manners you have from everyone else, but I don't see them at home! Why are you so nice to all your friends and teachers, but treat me and your brothers so poorly!" I remember hearing this kind of stuff and just rolling my eyes at my parents.

Well, the other day I had one of those parenting moments when I realized why my mom would get so annoyed with us kids. Let me set the scene. It was a busy morning as usual in the Willis household and I see Owen's shorts lying in the middle of the living room floor. I said "Owen, please pick up your shorts and put them away." He picks them up and a few minutes later I head upstairs and I see the shorts on the stairs. I said "Owen, I told you to put your shorts away." He came and got them and went upstairs and didn't say anything. He heads into his room I head into the playroom. A few minutes later I walk into the playroom and the shorts are on the floor. "Owen! I told you to put your shorts away!" He comes upstairs doesn't say anything and I walk out of the room to get something. He goes back downstairs and I walk back into his room and there are his shorts on his bed. I yell downstairs "OWEN! I told you to put your shorts away!" He said "I did!" I say "No! They are on your bed!" He then said "Well, you didn't tell me to put them in the drawer" At this point I lecture him on how I shouldn't have to tell him to put the shorts in the drawer, that when I tell him to put something away you put it where it belongs and then I continue to tell him how if he did it right the first time it would of taken 2 minutes, but instead he has wasted so much time having to do it over and over again! As I am talking I see the look, the look I used to give my parents. The look of I am looking at you and nodding and saying yes and I am sorry when really I am not paying any attention to you at all! Gotta love parenting!