The Ozmerican Life

Like I've said before...our house is usually very under control....not so much today. A friend of mine came to visit today. This is a rare occurrence in our home. My kids are not used to having people they don't know very well in our house. We have friends over but it's usually the same friends. Nathan and I and Social butterfly are never found in the same sentence.

When new people come over it's like circus time for my kids. It's as if they are in the rings in the center and everyone is just waiting to see what crazy stunt they can do. They just go nuts! Doing things that they never do, and behaving totally out of the norm. Any other parents face this same thing??

So afterward I was talking to my mom. I love my mom. She has helped me so much in the parenting area. She taught me that glorious routine that I talked about yesterday and has taught me my babies schedule so I can now say...having a newborn is easy...yes easy! So I was telling her that my friend was over and then I told her my kids were nuts....Running, screaming, climbing everywhere. She said well what did you do? Nothing I told her....hhhmmmm could that be my problem???

I know that disciplining a child in front of someone else is not a good thing to do. How would you like it if your boss called you in a room with all your coworkers and started reaming you out about your bad behaviour...humiliated and embarrassed. I've never wanted to do that to my kids. So this means I would actually have to stop my conversation, take them in a different room and deal with it. Yeah, that didn't happen today.

As funny as it isn't...Quaid would do something that isn't allowed and look at me and pause for a second...as if he's waiting for the usual response I would give him. I trying to maintain my role of a friend first and parent second would just continue on talking... That was the moment it all went downhill...he knew that he was free to do whatever he wanted. And of course all the other kids follow him...if Quaid's doing it then it must be okay.

My kids have got me figured out when I am occupied by company they will not get in trouble so they can go nuts...and why wouldn't they take full advantage of that?!?!? So sadly another teaching opportunity missed...but let me tell you...it won't happen again!!

So this brings me to my title...anyone want to come for a visit so I can have another "teaching opportunity?"