You Need to Be a Parent, Not a Friend
We took the kids to a fast food playground for lunch today. It's been too cold for the kids to go outside or even wander near the windows in our house, so it was good to give the kids a chance to run around. Plus it had been so long since our last fast food trip I didn't know what kind of toy they'd get with their meal.*
Abbie was playing with another girl. When the two wandered near us, Abbie turned to the girl, pointed at mommy, and said, "that's my best friend."
Abbie has an infatuation with mommy and clearly prefers her. This fact doesn't really hurt my feelings; sure, I'm the one who spent almost every waking second with her for the first three years of her life, but maybe she's just sick of me after all that together time. My main complaint over this preference is she throws a tantrum every time mommy leaves for work, leaving Abbie vulnerable to daddy's tyranny of strictly limited TV and snacks.
We don't know why this preference developed. Despite being a little freer with TV and snacks, mommy tends to be harsher on Abbie than I am. I usually let her do what she wants around the house as long as she doesn't bother me or break something/one. Mommy is stricter about her attitude, not letting her get away with the crankiness or rudeness that I might not notice. Maybe a couple extra viewings of Sleeping Beauty is all it takes to become Abbie's best friend.
*They got small plush dogs. I wish they could get some sort of toy vehicle with every meal instead. They didn't care for these dogs, as evidenced by the fact that they barely fought over them before going back to playing with their toy vehicles.
Abbie was playing with another girl. When the two wandered near us, Abbie turned to the girl, pointed at mommy, and said, "that's my best friend."
Abbie has an infatuation with mommy and clearly prefers her. This fact doesn't really hurt my feelings; sure, I'm the one who spent almost every waking second with her for the first three years of her life, but maybe she's just sick of me after all that together time. My main complaint over this preference is she throws a tantrum every time mommy leaves for work, leaving Abbie vulnerable to daddy's tyranny of strictly limited TV and snacks.
We don't know why this preference developed. Despite being a little freer with TV and snacks, mommy tends to be harsher on Abbie than I am. I usually let her do what she wants around the house as long as she doesn't bother me or break something/one. Mommy is stricter about her attitude, not letting her get away with the crankiness or rudeness that I might not notice. Maybe a couple extra viewings of Sleeping Beauty is all it takes to become Abbie's best friend.
*They got small plush dogs. I wish they could get some sort of toy vehicle with every meal instead. They didn't care for these dogs, as evidenced by the fact that they barely fought over them before going back to playing with their toy vehicles.
posted by Matt at
10:04 PM
2 Comments:
Laura prefers me, which I think is acceptable since, ya know, Daddy doesn't lactate and all. ;)
Kendra prefers me, to the point that it does make Chad feel bad sometimes.
Evan seems to prefer whoever is busy with something else at the time, which is also usually me.
It's nice to be wanted though!
By
Lynnette, at 2:37 PM
My daughter prefers me, my son prefers whoever is showing him attention at the time. My daughter can be really hard on my husband, which really does make him feel bad. I have always thought it was just because I am home with them more.
One thing I have noticed, as a principal at an elementary school, is that school-aged girls almost ALWAYS prefer their daddies. Just a few more years! Hang in there.
By
Amy, at 12:32 PM
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