Education

So the hub and I are taking a parenting class. 

I think we're good parents. I think we try our best to instill in our children the values we think are important. Age-appropriate, of course. I'm sure we're using ideas and tactics our parents used with us, supplemented by newer tools we've read about or been told about by others. 

But, as we so often hear, every child is different. Our children are not the same children we were. So why would those methods our parents used be fool-proof for us to use with our boys?

The response we've had from people we've told about the class has been surprising. The sideways glances. The silence that spoke volumes. Even outright laughter. The implication that only bad parents need a parenting class. 

I offer you this:

You decide you want to scramble an egg. You've never scrambled an egg before, but you know your parents did. You think you know how to do it because you've watched them do it. You look it up online. You ask friends about how they scramble their eggs. Some people offer their advice unsolicited, but you take it anyway, thinking, "anything to make a good egg". You try. And it's ok. It's edible. It'll do. 

Then a professional chef with years of education and experience offers to teach you several of the very best ways to scramble your eggs. Do you turn it down because taking a lesson from a professional means you don't know what you're doing?  Or do you accept the lesson, realizing you might learn something new to help you make the very best eggs?

I know it seems like a silly example, but seriously. These are not eggs. They're my children. We are meant to take lessons on reading, math, science, swimming, driving, piano, soccer, and the list goes on and on. Not a single one of those is more important than my children. Not one. 

A good friend of mine, a woman I admire as a person, a wife, and a mother, took the class as well. She says it changed her life and made her a better parent. Who doesn't want that??

So we are taking the class. Happily. Shamelessly. We are learning very useful information and reinforcing that we are, in fact, good parents. Dedicated, loving parents who only want the best for our children. 

So look sideways. Keep your awkward silence. Laugh all you want. We know we're doing the best we can for our kids.