Ok, so the titles a little over dramatic, but really. I've only been on mumsnet a little while, (not even a week) but I've already started doing the inevitable, and judge my own parenting against other people's.
So, some context. DD is 5, she's my first child, and we are expecting in July. I've never really followed any parenting philosophy, or really felt I had any idea what I was doing, and I've just sort of done what worked at the time. This wasn't intentional, but when I had DD I had just turned 22, as was DH, and in retrospect I probably wasn't ready for a baby. But none of that's really important. Anyway, my accidental pragmatic parenting rebellion has led to some not ideal habits.
Starting with screen time, I have never really regulated it. I let DD use the ipad, or my phone, or whatever is convenient, pretty much on request, which is too often if I'm being completely honest. It's definitely the easy way out, I won't denie that, but it just always seems so far down my list of priorities.
Next is behaviour. DD is on the whole very well behaved, but like most children she certainly has her moments. I feel that I'm really poor when it comes to dealing with them. I've never been strict at all, and I've never used any tools like the naughty step ect, nor have I ever smacked her. I don't really know what I'm ment to be doing in these situations. I normally try talking to her and explaining why her behaviour isn't acceptable, possibly calming her down if the situation requires. I've not got any set punishments in place, which means I often have to think on my feet. This tactic sometimes works, sometimes not.
The biggest thing however, is probably bedtime. We don't have/never have had a set bedtime routine. It's the same idea every night, bath, pjs, teeth, story, bed, but the times vary from day to day. When she goes to bed, I lie with her until she falls asleep, normally not long, about 10-15 mins. At some point during the night she will wake up, and she'll come through into our my and DH's bed. I don't try to stop this and never have, as long as she's not still doing it at 15, I'm not worried.
Lastly, potentially my most heinous crime, she still has a dummy. She is 5, and yes, she is probably too old for it, but honestly I'm not really that bothered. The rule is that she can only have one at bedtime, but that isn't always followed. The way I see it, like the coming into our bed, she won't have it forever so what's the harm. The dentist has mentioned that we should probably get rid of it, but at the moment it hasn't had much of an effect on her teeth, and she would likely need braces anyway due to genetics.
So I really suppose what I'm looking for is either, reassurance that I'm not ruining my DD's life, as she hasn't become a demon child so far, and/or some tips on how to make things run a little smoother. Thanks.