Things you said you'd do when you had kids... and actually did.

[impossiblecat]

A positive thread for a change.

Everyone has plans of how they want to do things when they're pregnant and there's always some miserable sod going.... "wait til you've had them, you'll change your mind..."

So what DID you stick to?

Me, EBM, lots of reading, minimal screen time, going out in all weathers, good bed time routine.

Come and be proud of yourself 😎

Have a door in the kitchen covered with their best artwork.

Lots of homecooked food and outdoor play.

Bf them all.
Raised them vegi.
Loved them all to bloody bits!!

Swimming and music lessons.

Take them outside in all weather. We love rain and wetsuits.

Little to no tv. If he's lucky he gets to watch only the one episode of teletubbies every now and then.

Read, read, read and read some more. My toddler loves grabbing a book and sitting down on my knee for a story. He will quite happily go through his entire book case.

Not quite nailed food thought lol he's an only child and grandchild so is spoilt rotten. I try to feed him healthy foods but then relatives are always slipping him crap on the sly

Breastfeeding.
Eating at the table as a family.

Minimal screen time (until I got pregnant again at least), out in all weathers, eat what we eat, continue to pursue my career.

EBF, very little screen time, reading with my school age child every single night, no chocolate for under 2s and only ever milk or water to drink for both kids. Other stuff I firmly pick my battles with though

I love them more than I could possibly fathom, easily and without effort, which is all I ever really wanted

I also wanted to work less than full time while they were young, which I have done. Don’t see that changing either so life is pretty nice with them. It’s taken some financial sacrifice but it’s more than worth it.

I had no preconcepts of parenthood as had not envisaged being a parent but if pressed i imagined I'd have a strict routine, like for my dogs as surely it was the same . Parents were disgusted when I wheeled that theory out but in fact (20 years of parenting human puppies later) it was. Knowing your boundaries is vital for humans (little and large) as much as puppies.

Being physically and emotionally there for them when they need me, tell them I love them every day and lots of hugs.
In their mid 20s now, still true.

Reading. I love books and have a houseful. I love to read so I wanted DS to get the same pleasure. He’s an omnivorous reader now so I think I got it right.

good consistent bed routine/good sleepers

Reading lots. Having a good bedtime routine. Minimal TV. Not tolerating fussy eating. Not being afraid to say no. Basically, not being afraid to be the adult.

• Move to an expensive area with good schools
• Completely change career
• Have two more

good consistent bed routine/good sleepers

This for me too.

Though I think that's mainly down to luck

Evening family meal at a table
Everyone eating the same thing - this does however lead to many tantrums and threats of 'Ill starve then' which makes for a fun meal at the table!!

Still loved my job.

Never force them to eat food they hate. Never force them to do activities they’re frightened of.

Keep him healthy, happy (as far as possible) and safe. There’s lots of different ways to do things. Some things I said I’d do I did for various reasons, like ebf. Really didn’t matter he was still fed and is now a stroppy 5’10” nearly 13 year old.

Went back to work ASAP. They eat what we eat. We travel as much as we can. We see a lot of their grandparents.

Security, unconditional love, routine, discipline, endless opportunities to explore interests, sober parents, food and clean clothes every day, a trip to Disneyworld ... basically everything I craved as a child but never had ...

To try my best to listen to my DCs.

If I make my boys a promise, I stick to it.

I don't avoid or make up BS answers to their questions about bodies.

Shown them that exercise should be a natural and regular part of life. I run & they will walk miles and scoot/cycle lots.

We don't let bad weather stop our fun.

I love them fiercely and put them first, even when it's hard. Every time.

Being an outdoorsy, adventurous parent. Thank goodness the DCs are up for it too

Lots of beautiful books. DS1 struggles with visual stress (highly likely to be dyslexic) so not the effortless, avid reader that I was in my youth, but he does have a love of books and a good range suited to his interests and reading needs.

Kept going with BFing longer than I first dared hope.

Eating together as a family most meals. Using the table.

I think I'm firm but fair. They don't have issues at school/ beavers etc, so can take boundaries seriously despite their best efforts at home. I'm so glad I had years of practice in a classroom before getting my own darlings

It's not all plain sailing, but I think I do a good job with the kids I have. They definitely have boundless energy and resilience. They are sufficiently trained as to not be too "spirited" (except DS2 6-7pm...)