Comments on: Becoming A Parent

By: Felicia

Felicia — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:13:59 +0000

It is interesting how much we change and mature. Felicia’s last blog post..Father's Day Crafts and Cheap Gift Ideas!

By: Heidi L

Heidi L — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 05:00:42 +0000

Being a mom I think takes a different kind of fun. You have to act drunk to make your babies laugh but not be drunk :) You have to teach them how to talk to people who are strangers and encourage them to invite these strangers over and after all your effort these people are not even coming to see you :) Instead of a house full of card games and fun board games for a party your house is full of toys and other things that make noice and move and do all sorts of stuff. Being a parent will definately be a 360 degree change in lifestyle :) Heidi L’s last blog post..5 Tips to Safeguard Your Domain

By: Amy O'Neal

Amy O'Neal — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 22:23:41 +0000

Great post and i agree with you... or you're a mom, be a mom! Amy O'Neal’s last blog post..ivory & moss- LAST CHANCE

By: LittleMissKnowitAll

LittleMissKnowitAll — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 17:08:14 +0000

As a child raised by a couple of hippies, I totally agree. I remember drugs in the house, parties at all hours, me at age 4 being wherever I wanted as long as I wasn’t in the middle of the adults. My brother came along a few years later and not long after, they began to clean themselves up. By the time I left middle school they were excellent parents. But it took a lot of work on their part, and they had two sets of parents who gave them support. In the early days, my grandmother watched us kids all day long just to give us some stability and sane people around us.

Now, raising two kids myself, I wonder how my mom ever did it. I totally admire how she cleaned herself up and got herself together. Was I scarred and changed because of what I saw? Absolutely. I became the adult in the house at a very young age, and never quite learned the same relaxed social skills other kids did. Even today, 37 years later, I’m a lot more serious than I really need to be. But I did learn a few things from my parents–people make mistakes. We do stupid stuff. And its never too late to turn around and make it right. You may not be able to fix it, but choosing to turn around makes a huge difference.

Not everyone is so lucky. My cousin’s parents never turned around and he grew up thinking drugs and drinking were okay. His life has never been a healthy one. He’s almost thirty and has never held a job more than a few weeks, can’t finish college despite being one of the smartest people I’ve ever met, and generally wastes his life away, always looking for someone else to take care of whatever problem he has. When I see teens doing that, dragging their kids along, I wonder…will their kids grow up like me, or like my cousin?

By: Becoming a Parent - Tough Love & Mistakes |

Becoming a Parent - Tough Love & Mistakes | — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 12:02:14 +0000

[…] to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.Powered by WP Greet BoxI wrote yesterday about how I changed when I became a parent and today I would like to write about how I am a strong believer in tough love and making […]

By: erin

erin — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 07:45:11 +0000

What a great post Brandy! I grew up seeing the drinking, parting, and the 'trashy' way of life. I know how painful some of my childhood memories are and wouldn't dream of letting my son experience even the slightest bit of similar behavior. I want my son to grow up in a healthy environment, free of addictions and vices. Yes, I was a teenager and then part of the 21+ crowd that did stuff, got drunk, and messed up. But WAS is the key word there. Of course I will still have a glass of wine here and then. But I promised myself to be not only the best mother I can be, but to really work to create a fun environment at home for my children. Eat dinner together, play games together, do crafts together. I would have gladly traded most activities growing up for a family dinner and monopoly game. <3 ~erin erin’s last blog post..Elijah TV: Brought to you by Flip Video & YouTube