Guest Author No. 2 - Mrs. Nicole Hall
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| “A project is complete when it starts working for you, rather than you working for it." - Scott Allen |
This page represents the finale of week 4 of 4 of our second of many Guest Authors to come.
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Decisions on how YOU raise YOUR children are left wholly up to you and to your parental wisdom and personal discretion.
And now, let’s welcome back, for the final time, our second Guest Author Mrs. Nicole Hall.
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PTTPAG – Have you had any funny parenting experiences that you feel would be appropriate to share with us here?
Nicole – Most recently, trying to teach Rachel to go to the bathroom on the potty. At about 18 months we bought one of those portable potties and we encourage it, but we’re not focused on it because I’m trying to let her decide.
Anyways, the other day, she equates when’s she’s able to go potty, or do something in the potty, that she gets a treat, or a chocolate. So the other day she really wanted a piece of chocolate, but I don’t think she was ready to go to the bathroom.
She had her diaper off and she was on the potty, she’d get off and look, then realize that there was nothing there yet so she would sit back down – this lasted for about 45 minutes.
We had somewhere to go and so we were trying to get out the door; anyways, it was funny to see her try so hard and she never ended up doing it. In fact she did it off the potty, with her diaper off, but at the same time she was trying so hard that I wanted to reward her so I tried to explain that she got a reward even though . . .
PTTPAG – Are there any pitfalls to normal people like you and I trying to give parenting advise to others?
Nicole – Definitely, yeah. Because we only go off of what we know, in our little experiences we’ve had.
PTTPAG – Is it valid for us to even try?
Nicole – Oh yes, absolutely. In a period of parenting, you will talk to lots of people with their own experiences, and there’s bound to be one or two things that you can pick here and there that will be of great value to you.
PTTPAG – How many perfect parents do you know?
Nicole – None
PTTPAG – If that’s the case, what do you say to a parent who feels bad over some parenting mistakes they may have made?
Nicole – That everyone else around you who is a parent has done the same thing; has made a mistake too.
PTTPAG – So what should a parent do if they realize they have made a mistake, or are making mistakes in their parenting?
Nicole – Adjust it right then, and apologize whether they (your very young children) can understand you or not. Apologize, and at least that gets it off your chest, and you can move on, and everyone makes mistakes. Correct the mistake and move on.
PTTPAG – How do you think parents realize they are making mistakes?
Nicole – One way I think is by how their child is behaving and reacting.
PTTPAG – That is absolutely correct, though I’d like to just say here that you can’t always judge by the child. There are many good parents who agonize over kids who make wrong choices and shouldn’t because they know better. These kids were taught better and were given good examples. It’s hard to remember this though for to judge is human.
Another question: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you were first staring out as a new parent?
Nicole – I think, to relax. Relax and enjoy the time; enjoy each stage your child is in. Because there are good things about each stage, and you can enjoy each stage.
Enjoy when they are just a little baby and they can’t do anything for themselves and you’re totally, 100% their care giver. But enjoy also when they are moving on and becoming independent.
PTTPAG – How do you do that? You are a father working 50 or 60 hours a week or more; how do you enjoy this experience?
Nicole – When you put your children first, though when you go to work it doesn’t mean that you are putting them second, you are actually putting them first. When you put them first, and their happiness first, you find great joy in sacrifice.
That’s just a principle of life that when you sacrifice for someone then you find great joy in that, and can enjoy them.
PTTPAG – That’s a wonderful insight; put them first. I think the father who tries to still stay on his bowling league, or still stay on the softball team, or still try to do everything they did before, might not find the time. I think it’s a matter of priorities and that you hit it right on the head.
Enjoy when your children are young; soak it up, because it does go very fast.
Nicole – Thank you
PTTPAG – This final section is a fun time that we like to call, “Quick Responses To Abstract Questions”. These questions are a fun way to get to know you, Nicole Hall, just a little bit better.
And why would we want to do that? It’s to remind the parents that we are all people; that parents are people too. We all have likes and dislikes and we’re not Super Heroes, so cut yourself some slack and like you said, relax, and have some fun.
So now I’m going to ask you a few questions in quick succession, and just give me the first answer that comes into your mind using the rule of thumb: ‘First Thought, Best Thought’.
Question: What is your favorite color?
Nicole – Answer: Blue.
PTTPAG – Question: What is your favorite food?
Nicole – Answer: Salads
PTTPAG – Question: What is your favorite movie?
Nicole – Answer: The Princess Bride
PTTPAG – Question: What is your favorite childhood book?
Nicole – Answer: A Pocket for Corduroy
PTTPAG – Question: What was your favorite childhood game or toy?
Nicole – Answer: Chutes and Ladders
PTTPAG – Question: What was your favorite family vacation when you were growing up, that you remember?
Nicole – Answer: Camping. We would go camping a lot.
PTTPAG – Question: What did you want to be when you grew up?
Nicole – Answer: I wanted to be a soccer player, and also a mother, and a wife.
PTTPAG – Question: What is your child’s favorite story book?
Nicole – Answer: Hugs for Baby.
PTTPAG – Question: What is your child’s favorite treat?
Nicole – Answer: A sucker – any flavor.
PTTPAG – Question: What is your child’s favorite activity?
Nicole – Answer: Going to the park.
PTTPAG – This is interesting, since it is important to know your children. If you are not interested in your children then they won’t be interested in you.
PTTPAG – Question: What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
Nicole – Answer: Brownies with ice cream on top.
PTTPAG – Question: What never fails to make you laugh, or causes you to feel really happy?
Nicole – Answer: Hmmmm. Seeing my husband throw Rachel up and play with her like that – every time.
PTTPAG – Are there any final parenting thought or impressions that you would like to share with us before we call it a day?
Nicole – Believe in yourself that you can do anything, and your child will believe in you too!
PTTPAG – Thank you once again Nicole for taking the time to be with us today. It was fun, wasn’t it?
Nicole – It was fun; it was great. Thank you, it was my pleasure.
PTTPAG – To my website visitors, this is Lance Dobieski wishing you all Happy Parenting Now and Always!
Thank you very much and good night.
There is a lot more parenting wisdom to share. Be on the lookout for our next Guest Author who will share with us more parenting insights and wisdom as we strive to gain, understand, and internalize as much parenting wisdom and know-how as possible at any time, for any reason, over and over again.
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