KISS #166 - Balancing My Parenting
Parenting is not as easy as some movies make them out to be. It is serious work. It involves round the clock watching, observing, teaching, caring and loving your child.
A parent is not only a covering for us or her own child. He or she is a covering to as many children around them and the influence that parents have over their children is tremendous. Children usually love to imitate their parents and do what they see their parents do.
As a parent and a minimalist, I try my best to balance my parenting and my minimalism by being intentional with the way I parent my child. I make sure to practice what I preach and follow through on the things I have laid out to do.
My girl is a good imitator. I recall how she used to ask that I also apply makeup on her face whenever I am applying mine. My makeup routine involves a little powder on my face and lip gloss/lipstick on my lips.
There was a day I caught her trying to apply powder on her face. You know those moments when you hear your child(ren) shouting and jumping all over the place and there is sudden silence? There, you’d know they are up to no good.
I sneaked quietly trying to see what she was up to when I saw her with my powder brush and lip gloss. You all need to have seen the way she curved her mouth, looking at the mirror trying to apply the lip gloss on her lips. I watched for some seconds trying to hold myself from bursting into laughter. When I finally made my presence known, I told her that she would be able to do it when she grew older but for now she is still young.
One major area that my minimalism really influences my parenting is in the area of her feeding and snack time. My daughter knows very well that she should not take more than the stipulated amount of snacks per day. Irrespective of her tantrums and cheekiness, she can only get the stipulated amount of snacks I recommend.
I have a snacks pantry at home where I keep all her favourite snacks of various kinds. I usually buy in bulk from the market which I believed would last through a school term of three months. I ration how she takes her snacks per day for both morning and sometimes after school hours.
Even when I am not at home with her or she is with her dad while I am away on an errand, she knows to only take the specified number of snacks. I am very happy that I have been able to influence her to be minimal. She knows that just because the snacks are abundant at home, does not mean that it should be eaten at a go or finished within a few days.
Parents out there can testify to how much children like snacks. Sometimes they dump their food and go for snacks. This is something that I didn't allow my daughter to imbibe. She would finish her food before thinking of snacks. That's a rule in my home.
Other areas are in my spending. I don't make impulse purchases. I budget my finances and stick to it judiciously. Only when there's an emergency do I go beyond my budget and that rarely happens. This financial management plan is something that my daughter is picking up gradually and I'm thankful for the influence that is having on her as it is making her financially wise at such a young age. She doesn't spend money recklessly. Any money given to her is kept for future use and she's fine with it.
I still have work to do as a parent but I am grateful for the level I have reached with my daughter.
Thank you for reading.
Images used are mine.
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I don't have children, but I have some experience with children in general and I know that it is not an easy task to keep an eye on them, especially when they are in their early stages, you have to be alert. We once forgot to keep an eye on my little cousin when she was about five years old, and she was putting a piece of dominoes inside the radio.
Oh My. Children can be very funny and curious.
Thank you so much for reading. I will always be alert.
This image belongs to millycf1976 and was manipulated using Canva.
Thank you for having me.
This is a good one kip up the work.
Your description of your daughter trying out your makeup routine was funny to me. Children tend to imitate the actions of any adult they hold in high esteem and so, we have to be intentional about the things we do around them.
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