Practice what you preach? Not in our house anyway

Last updated: 03/09/2015 16:39 by MaryByrne to MaryByrne's Blog
Filed under: MummyBloggers
Most of us are guilty of preaching to our kids (well I do in my house) about how they should eat their dinner, do all their homework and keep their room tidy.
 
And while we mean well it can be a little annoying to kids to hear the same thing every day.  
 
But my little girl caught me out recently, and she left me so completely stumped that I felt guilty for the whole day.
 
One morning, I was eating my breakfast of toast and tea beside my seven-year-old who was munching away on her porridge, when she suddenly goes: “Why aren’t you eating your crusts”.
 
It might sound like a completely innocent question but when I am constantly telling her to eat her crusts because they’re the best part, my plateful of uneaten bread made me look like a hypocrite.
 
Unfortunately, it was particularly early and I wasn’t on form, and before I came up with a very good reason I responded with: “Because I don’t like them...”
 
The sentence was out of my mouth before my brain had caught up and I saw her looking at me out of her beautiful blue eyes, questioning why there was one rule for me and one rule for her. There isn’t. Usually.
 
As mums we try to do the absolute best for our kids but every now and then we trip up. And while the unfairness of it did bother me for a while, I eventually came to the conclusion that I’m only human and mistakes happen.
 
However, the next time I find squashed crusts at the bottom of her lunch bag, I’d better keep my mouth shut... 
 
Mary Byrne is a staff writer at MummyPages and mum to a horse-crazy, sports-mad, seven-year-old girl.
eSolution: Sheology
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