Soapbox Sunday — Parenting Insights

Light bulb moment!

Raise your hand if you were very sure what kind of parent you were going to be before you had kids?

Raise your hand if you were very sure what kind of parent you were going to be at each stage of your kid’s life beforehand?

I’m raising both hands on both accounts.

One thing I’m learning in this parenting gig is that I’m always learning. I have a core set of values that form the base of my parenting but I’m always fine-tuning them as I go along.

This week’s Soapbox Sunday features some writings that I found insightful about parenting.

BlackGirlinMaine talks about what she’s learned having raised an almost 19 year old and now raising a 5 year old.

Gina, The Feminist Breeder has a message for newer moms who judge other moms who have difficult toddlers — “Just wait!”

Lauren, at Hobo Mama, talks about why she’s not as fabulous a parent as her blog might make her seem and why that’s ok.

Dionna, at CodeName:Mama shares tips for encouraging children to apologize with sincerity instead of forcing them to say sorry.

Darcel at The Mahogany Way talks about the importance of play in her children’s lives.

Sparky of Spark in Darkness has a guest post over at Womanist Musings about the folly of sheltering children from LGBT people.

What kind of parenting insights have you discovered?

No Resolutions, Just a Wish List

Last year I made some parenting resolutions which, I’m proud to say, I mostly kept. This year, I’ve decided to not do any resolutions and instead allow myself to have a wish list of sorts.

My 2011 Wishlist

• Yoga – Once upon a time I worked at a yoga studio, and in the process developed a fairly regular yoga practice of my own. Unfortunately, my physical yoga practice fell by the wayside once I moved to the city I currently live in. I miss the way I felt during and after a yoga session, which is, challenged then peaceful.
• Read more books – I used to be a voracious book reader. Nowadays, most of my reading is of online articles and blogs. This is not a bad thing since I’ve learned so much this way, however, I miss reading for pure pleasure. Plus, I want to encourage Baby E to have a love of books. I’ve already reintroduced myself to library hold request system and Baby E got some new board books for Christmas. I think we’re off to a good start on this item.
• Experiment with new hairstyles – When it comes to beauty and fashion I’m mostly low maintenance. However, I am intrigued by the funky loc hairstyles I come across online. I think it’s time I try something new.
• Learn more about photography – I can’t afford a shiny, new DSLR camera but I have a neat point and click camera with manual controls. It’s well past time I learned how to use those controls. In order to brush up on my skills, I decided to participate in Project 365. Project 365 is a challenge to take a picture a day for 365 days. Check out my pics here.

I’m giving myself permission to add to or delete from this list throughout the year. However, I’m hopeful that the deletions will be few to nonexistent.

What’s on your wish list?