Good Enough Parenting Tricks

Teomima

Tue, May 01 2018, 1:27 am

Love this thread!

I bathe my kids as needed only, so usually twice, but sometimes even only once a week.

Nails get cut as needed, no schedule, sometimes a bit too infrequently. I bribe the younger ones with nail polish (color of their choice, as long as it's quick-dry).

My school-age children sleep in their clothes for the following day. They usually fall asleep fully dressed anyways, so I just make sure they're wearing clean clothes, and then they don't have to spend time changing in the morning.

My kids usually eat cereal/granola with milk/yogurt twice a day because I can't manage cooking so many meals, and it's something they can get for themselves/bigger kids can get for younger. They'll have it for breakfast and again later because they usually get hungry shortly before bed (after school is when they're hungriest and I'll feed them a "real" meal then.)

amother

Copper

Tue, May 01 2018, 1:45 am

cozyblanket wrote:

Exactly. We don't use pjs until about 3 years old. Until then, they get a clean outfit to sleep in at night. Then, as long as they don't leak through their night diaper, all they need is a diaper change, shoes and socks!

I really don't understand this one... but I'm not going to judge. I can get how it makes sense in some situations when you really need to cut corners. My only question is what TYPE of clothing they sleep in. Jeans and button-up oxford shirts are a far cry from leggings and a T-shirt...

seeker

Tue, May 01 2018, 1:49 am

amother wrote:

She said until 3. I'm not fashion-conscious enough to put my 2-year-old in jeans and oxford shirts. More like t-shirt and jeggings for 2-year-old, romper for 1-year-old, stretchie for baby. I never did understand the point of calling some baby stretchies clothes and some pajamas. A cotton one-piece is a cotton one-piece, and babies don't differentiate between day and night when planning leaky diapers and spit-up. So my infants basically wore regular cute stretchies around the clock many days.

heidi

Tue, May 01 2018, 2:31 am

I try so hard to be a super parent. Hot fresh supper every night. I do all the laundry, including folding, for all my kids. Sheets, towels etc. goes without saying.
But--- my kids always took only 3 showers a week. Brushed their teeth three times a week if I was lucky. Breakfast is chocolate milk bcz. they won't eat anything else and I'm not going to force them. There is lots of screen time- it's a reward for doing homework, going to sleep nicely, breathing.
So now I find out on this thread that I'm barely a good enough parent Crying

sushilover

Tue, May 01 2018, 3:03 am

I use certain chores as bribes. If you're ready for school before 8, you can vacuum. .. if you're in pjs, you can empty the dishwasher. .. don't know how much longer it'll last, but I'm enjoying it!

Teomima

Tue, May 01 2018, 3:07 am

heidi wrote:

You know what? To each their own! Your kids shower three times a week! That's more than mine. You fold their laundry. That's amazing! My kids, and myself, are lucky if we don't get dressed by pulling items wrinkled and straight from the dryer. You're not "barely a good enough parent," you're super mom!

UnFarvosNischt

Tue, May 01 2018, 3:34 am

sushilover wrote:

I use certain chores as bribes. If you're ready for school before 8, you can vacuum. .. if you're in pjs, you can empty the dishwasher. .. don't know how much longer it'll last, but I'm enjoying it!

You made me laugh!
But seriously, I do the same with my DD, she's 20mo and she's in charge of putting in the bin her and her baby sister's diapers.

Also:
- I serve pasta (plain or with cream cheese) as supper 2 or 3 times a week: my DD loves it, it's cheap (I put only a spoon of cheese) and only requires one pot Wink

Or I make one big pot of soup, I freeze portions of it and she'll have it 3 days in a row
- Her having a pacifier is my best "good enough" parenting trick. It works every time...
- Strangely enough bathing her every night IS one of my "good enough" tricks. Okay it's only showering but she loves it, it feels the time till bedtime and then she sleeps really well. Her baby sister though only get bathed 2/3 times a week...

cinnamon

Tue, May 01 2018, 4:30 am

Ooo I have so many where do I start?

- Pizza every once in a while
- a lot of screen time (As long as home work and chores are done and there is no other activity they're missing)
- letting kids go rest in my bed when they (and I) need to calm down
- untill age 2-2.5 kids don't have pj's they sleep in the same rumpers/pants and t shirts that they go to gan with.
- I stopped bugging my eleven year old about showering - She does when she wants and thats it.
- I stopped bugging my nine year old to go to sleep. (As long as he is in bed at bed time and wakes up easily in the morning he could do what he wants)
- I go to the bathroom when I need a break.
- When I need some quite time I 'let' them go to the grocery down the street to buy a treat. (The size of the treat depends on the amount of quite time I need...)
- at 10:00pm the day is over. Everything that isn't actual pikuach nefesh will have to wait for tommorow (I realise this only works cause my kids are relativly younge and will not work with teens but I'm enjoying it while it lasts)
- letting kids go to school late or not go in the afternoon or just stay home the whole day sometimes when I just can't get them out on time, or at all.

amother

Lilac

Tue, May 01 2018, 5:58 am

cozyblanket wrote:

My little brothers were like 6 and 7 when she stopped.

HeartyAppetite

Tue, May 01 2018, 9:13 am

I put my my 2 year old in the bath every day after his nap. I put in lots of toys, make sure the water is low, and that’s how I have 45 minutes to get some housework done. It wastes some time, he loves it, and I get a break. Of course I keep checking up on him.

keym

Tue, May 01 2018, 9:23 am

heidi wrote:

You are way more than a good enough parent. Fresh supper every night and folded laundry means you almost get kicked out of the good enough parent club.
I do laundry, sort it and put the clean baskets into each kids room. Under 8, if I have time I might fold. Older 9 they fold their own. And if not, they rummage for clean underwear and socks.
My motto is no one died from wearing wrinkled underwear.

observer

Tue, May 01 2018, 9:48 am

HeartyAppetite wrote:

I don't want to break the rules of this thread, but I do think this is in the dangerous category. There have been too many stories of toddlers who drowned in very low water. Checking up is not enough. At that age, they need constant supervision when in or around water.

tsc3

Tue, May 01 2018, 10:00 am

I stick them in the bath - ages 3 and 4 - as an afternoon activity. They LOVE the bath and play for a long time. They bring kitchen toys - pots, pans, bottles, spoons etc...
And a bubble bath? They can stay for forever!

daagahminayin

Tue, May 01 2018, 10:19 am

My kids go to sleep in “next day’s clothes” also.

We play Rabbi Juravel as a bedtime story. If they ever rope me into reading them a book, I’ll record myself while I’m reading so I can replay it for them another time.

Chayalle

Tue, May 01 2018, 10:20 am

If my kids don't like what I made for supper, they can have frozen pizza, tradition soups, or bread with any spread in the fridge. Cereal and milk would also be fine, except none of my kids like that.

When my kids were younger and I could get away with it, I sometimes served them scrambled eggs and toast for supper, maybe with some cut-up veggies.

Teomima

Tue, May 01 2018, 10:32 am

Chayalle wrote:

When my kids were younger and I could get away with it, I sometimes served them scrambled eggs and toast for supper, maybe with some cut-up veggies.

Pat yourself on the back! In Israel, this is considered a perfectly normal dinner, for kids and adults alike! Lunch is the heavy fleishig meal of the day here. Eggs and vegetables is common dinner fare.

Chayalle

Tue, May 01 2018, 10:35 am

Teomima wrote:

This was in the US, though, and was their main meal for the day.

Oh, and I never made my kids home lunches to take to school, even though they did not like school lunches. My teens tell me they didn't eat lunch for years, and filled up on snacks instead.

rgr

Tue, May 01 2018, 12:58 pm

I let my toddler empty out the silverware draw onto the floor. I first take out all the knives etc and let him have fun! He likes to sit on a stool next to me when I make supper.

Keeping him busy while I work on supper is worth the cleanup after!

cookies6

Tue, May 01 2018, 1:36 pm

miz wrote:

I often "forget" to remind my daughter, just turned 6, to do her teeth at night. (and in the morning!) its just too much pressure in the whole bedtime routine...

Same here. embarrassed

I am also guilty of too much screen time on the weekends - it's how I am able to make Shabbos and do laundry marathons on Sundays.

I sometimes serve waffles for supper and often take out pizza.