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Original poster

Confessions - what DON't you do that you know that you should - and you feel bad about?

29 replies

Toomuchtoosoontooyoung · 14/03/2011 11:51

My kids are 2 and 3. Not benign neglect just no time, find it a struggle etc...

  1. I don't clean my kids teeth - prob about every 3 days
  2. Baths are once a week
  3. We never all eat together unless we're out
, we don't have a table

Anyone else?

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notnowbernard · 14/03/2011 11:56

Sorry, but YUK to only cleaning your kids teeth every 3 days Shock

scrappydappydoo · 14/03/2011 12:00

We struggle to eat together during the week as dh gets home after bedtime and I tend to wait and eat with him..
When I was pg with dd1 I had all these visions of doing lovely crafty things and basically HEing dc preschool but in reality cbeebies rules..

sherbetpips · 14/03/2011 12:02

homework - really crud at doing it - hated doing it myself so never did it, parents never did it with me. really need to do more of it, hes a bright kid (which I use as another excuse not to do it.

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Original poster
Toomuchtoosoontooyoung · 14/03/2011 12:06

I'm not posting this to be judged alright?!
Am posting cos I feel shite enuff as a mum as it is and jus wanna make sure am not alone and that everyone other mum in the world is better than me - so if any of my things are 'yuck' then don't read.

I find an hour not long enuff to do teeth, bath, bed, story, bit of tv etc...wanna talk to my kids for a bit not rush them round the house ordereing them to do stuff

I also let them eat some meals on the sofa which means its ruined but we don't have massive battles if they both don't wanna sit down at their toddler table

OP posts:
notnowbernard · 14/03/2011 12:08

I'll judge away if I want, thanks

Would YOU not brush your own teeth for 3 days?!

Sorry, I think it's slack in the extreme to not brush your DC teeth. It's, what, 2 minutes of the day? But hey-ho

HotchpotchHoney · 14/03/2011 12:12

reading with my reception class dd every night, i just don;t seem to have the time. i feel bad about it every day though. after all it only takes 5 minutes. we read probably every other night.

temporarystate · 14/03/2011 12:14

playing with my boys when they are equally happy to watch telly

bibbitybobbityhat · 14/03/2011 12:15

Honestly, teeth brushing is very important.

I feel guilty that I don't really listen to ds when he goes in to one of his really long stories (usually trying to explain the plot of a film or a tv show to me) - they go on forever and I usually zone out after the first minute.

cashmeregoat · 14/03/2011 15:16

Giving undivided attention when she's playing with er toys. I often zone out.

eileenslightlytotheleft · 14/03/2011 16:02

Oh Lord, all sorts. Reading every night went by the board after week 1. Teaching DD to ride a bike. Eating family meals (forcing myself to do it once a week now but it was way too stressful when they were small - was just like you on that one toomuch!)

Toomuch, get your kids cleaning their own teeth - better than not doing it at all. Mine do their own each morning and I do them in the evening.

ConnorTraceptive · 14/03/2011 16:06

The bath once a week and not eating together isn't the end of the world but not brushing teeth is terrible and it would be wrong for anyone to try to make you feel ok about it. I know you don't want to be judged but if a bit of flaming gets you brushing their teeth then good!!

Ragwort · 14/03/2011 16:07

I don't sit nicely with my DS and chat about his school day (like now - he's 'relaxing' watching TV and I'm on Mumsnet Grin). Disclaimer - we do walk home together from school, I take him a nice snack and he grunts at me occasionally !

Totally agree about listening to long (boring) stories ........... yawn.

Hate family meals - hate 'smug' families who sit and chat about their day at family meal times even more Grin.

ConnorTraceptive · 14/03/2011 16:08

I don't do reading a spelling every night and should be spending time everyday doing ds's speech therapy exercises but sometimes he is so uncooperative I have to walk away or I'll get pissed of with him which is wrong.

goldenticket · 14/03/2011 16:09

Please brush your kids' teeth even if you do nothing else.

tuggy · 14/03/2011 20:56

I think that the teeth brushing should be promoted to a necessary activity. Its only 2 minutes out of the hour. I'd drop the bed time story/tv before I dropped teeth brushing...

lurcherlover · 14/03/2011 21:00

I have seen what happens to kids whose teeth don't get brushed every day...and it isn't pretty. You think it's OK now, but if you don't start brushing daily, in three or four years your kids will be crying in pain because their teeth are rotting and need extracting. This isn't scaremongering, I've seen it. Please make time to brush them.

sunshineandshowers13 · 14/03/2011 21:10

oh for goodness sake. wouldnt the world be a wonderful place if we were all perfect all of the time. There is no such thing as a perfect mum and i have only just realised that straianing my every fibre to BE the perfect mum has made us all miserable and isnt any fun.

I think we could all say that we forget homework, switch off while listening to the escapades of the latest moshi monster moshlings,
add tomato ketchup if it means that they'll eat their tea,
have recycled a school blouse/shirt on a friday morning,
dont eat together every night (i enjoy sometimes eating just with my dp as adults)
and eat on the sofa in front of the fire when its snowing outside.

the list is endless and limitless. yes teethbrushing is important, as is eating 5 a day oooh we dont manage that either!) but dont beat yourself up over it.

lysithia · 14/03/2011 22:28

Let my 21 month old dd watch cbeebies (I was a TV fascist with ds pfb). She loves that Waybuloo rubbish

Sometimes give them beans on toast for tea or boiled eggs and toast soldiers

Don't get out for enough fresh air when the weather is bad. With ds we went out in all weathers wrapped up but since dd was born I have been a bit lazier

Spandangle · 14/03/2011 23:01

haha! bet you wish you'd never mentioned the teeth brushing toomuch?

Jajas · 14/03/2011 23:08

This reply has been deleted

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Spandangle · 15/03/2011 10:11

how can you not make time to help your child with their homework? It doesnt take very long and is so important. I know someone who trusted their son to do his own home work and he clearly wasn't and now he works in B&Q Wink

Jajas · 15/03/2011 10:55

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RueLaChesty · 15/03/2011 14:27

I hate HATE brushing the kids teeth. But i cheat, in the morning as long as they put the toothbrush in their mouths. but they have a bath every night as its the only bit of routine they have and i let them brush their teeth in the bath and i distract them and try and give them a good brush.

Ditto with meal times.

I'll also add getting out for fresh air enough and Playing with DD1. She is 2.7yo and she loves playdoh, painting etc but DD1 is only 11mo and the mess is just too stressful!! :(

I will make more of an effort!

Goldrill · 15/03/2011 19:48

tummy time. I feel it may go downhill from here...

MCos · 15/03/2011 23:32

I used not be great at brushing teeth either, when they were same age at yours. DD2 used to kick up such a fuss I couldn't face doing it every night. But I persevered, and now it is twice a day consistently.

My three big things that I don't do that make me feel guilty are:

  1. Allowing DD2 (age 7) to eat mainly protein & carbs. Most days I only get 1 fruit into her, and 1 fruit + 1 veg only maybe 2-3 times a week.. 2)Family mealtime - usually just once per week