I have a question for other single parents. I'm single - my baby daddy left early in the pregnancy and I have custody. My daughter is 5 months. I've already noticed character traits, she can be very wilful, determined, stubborn even.. (can't imagine who she gets that from ;) and I realise that as she grows, I will be disciplining her on my own. So right from the start I'm anxious to find the right balance between telling her what to do or what not to do, and keeping her on side. So that we have a friendly relationship and she trusts me to be looking out for her even she doesn't always agree with me. I feel it's important she respects me. I don't want to be the parent whose child is running around and they won't listen to a word they say.. I'm worried about being too permissive even now e.g. giving her toys and not making her reach for things.. or being too authoritarian and her rebelling against that.
So, a question for anyone else who has raised their child alone, how did you handle discipline right from the get-go, when there is only one of you to be the good/bad guy, how do you raise your chid with a moral compass, so they respect you and keep a good relationship going with them?
Please forgive me if you think 5 months is too early to be thinking about these things but already I can see patterns of behaviour between us and she's use to getting her way.. and I'm sure she will be starting school in no time :)