Do you ever see or hear something that really ‘clicks’ with your ideals of parenting? This happened to me a couple of weeks ago when I was watching Desperate Housewives. If you’re not a fan don’t run away as it’ll still make sense.
Gabby was deemed a bad parent by the neighbourhood mums after one of their kids got hurt in her care when the girls decided to slide down the stairs in a suitcase, which sound like great fun to me! To get back in the good books she threw a lavish birthday party for her daughter involving a monkey and a clown. Unfortunately, the monkey went berserk and resulted in a tranquilizer gun and the clown being taken away on a stretcher.
That night, like we all do, she was beating herself up about being a bad mum and this is the conversation she had with her husband, Carlos.
Carlos: Stop beating yourself up, it wasn’t that bad!
Gabby: Carlos, the monkey almost killed the clown, that’s the definition of a bad children’s party!
Gabby: Ana’s right I am a terrible mum.
Carlos: Look, I am no expert on raising children. All I know is when all the other children ran screaming to their mums, Juanita jumped into the bouncy castle and zipped it up and her sister played dead. Those girls are smart…which they wouldn’t be if you’d been hovering all over them their whole lives. They’ve learned to be independent and resourceful and that is thanks to your negligence.
I don’t think I need to add anything as I think this says it all! :-)