This parenting stuff is no fun sometimes. I am ALL about the discipline....following through on punishments...trying to teach about responsibility, respect...blah, blah, blah. Well this weekend I REALLY need to live out all that talk.
Mr. McIntosh, dear child that he is, finally got what was coming to him this week when he totally bombed a spelling test he continually dragged his feet studying for. So Bryce and I had a summit last night about how we need to come up with an iron clad punishment to try to instill the fact that you have to fulfill your responsibilities otherwise you face the consequences. We decided that Mac would stay with Sean and I this weekend so we could be the enforcers. Bryce is in the middle of a big study and needs to go into work a lot this weekend which would mean trying to get his various family members on board with Mac's punishment of no television whatsoever...we decided it was too much of a logistical risk and if Mac got away with watching any we might as well not even punish him anyway...since our authority would be non-existent.
We presented this to Mac together via speaker-phone tonight and despite the initial tears, he took it pretty well. Yet, now we have to enforce all weekend and that's as much a punishment for us as it is for him...but oh well...it's all in the name of good parenting. Of course hell if I know what it takes to be a good parent, but we do TRY...and then I guess we just hope, right?
ETA
You know it's weird, I'll put just about anything out there, but I've had this entry sitting on my desktop almost all night...afraid to post it...what if someone thinks I'm punishing Mac too much...what if someone knows better and it turns out I'm handling this all wrong...what if someone thinks I'm a bad parent? I guess I'm doubtful of my skills...constantly feeling like I'm still way too young to have a drop of wisdom.
Wow now I've REALLY put it all out there :)