Parenting Styles (this is going to be a long one)

Disclaimer: This is purely opinion and not based on anyone in particular in my everyday life! Enjoy!

I have really been focusing lately on getting my parenting back on track because while I was in the previously mentioned funk I may or may not have let a few things slide when it came to my kids and the way I handled situations. I also had become a monster to live with as I am sure Kevin would never admit but secretly wanted to divorce and decided that I needed to make some major changes so my children didn't end up turning into mini monsters. Now that I am back on track I have been noticing the way people parent their children and have become in tune with the various parenting styles out there and let me tell you what there are some interesting ones for sure.

The uptight-control-freak-perfectionist: This type of parenting is one that means the parents are overstressed to the max. They expect their children to be perfect every single second of every single day. There is no room for error in routine or education. Parents of this style do not enjoy their children for who they truly are they end up loathing the fact that they are even children. I think parents who parent this way would be better off having a robot for a child. I have only seen a limited number of parents who fit this style and trust me they are not fun people to be around so I am glad I have only encountered them on a rare occasion.

The laid back-go with the flow-kids running all over the place: This type of parenting is one that means the parents are super care-free and don't know where their children are half the time. Yes people these are the parents who's kids are running around the store screaming and hollering or at the McDonald's play place carrying on like they were born in a barn. This type of parenting has no boundaries and their children have no rules so therefore there are no consequences and both parent and child live in a crazy, chaotic state of bliss. Don't get me wrong it is fine to be laid back and go with the flow but please set some boundaries! Again not the funnest of people to be around because I for one don't want my children thinking it is okay to act like wild animals in public.

The calm-quiet-never raise their voice-softhearted- but stern: This type of parenting is one that takes a person of great patience and lots of practice (I assume as I have never been this type of parent but SOO wish I was sometimes). These are the ones that give their children a soft spoken command and more often than not their children follow the command and do good. I love being around a parent and child who come from this type of parenting because it is always so soothing and quiet. BELIEVE they do exist and not just in Michelle Dugger.

The one, two...- I'm not going to tell you again-this is your last warning: This type of parenting is one that more often than not I fall victim to and have to remind myself not to do. I see parents who parent this way and they are always warning and giving empty threats to their children. The kids are not listening because they know for a fact that their is not going to be any action taken so they just keep doing what they are doing. I always seem to see this type of parenting at the swimming pool... "don't run again or we are going home!" Kid runs. "This is the last time I am going to tell you to stop running!" Kid runs. "I am going to give you one more warning!" Kid runs. Yea you get the point.

The loud talking-screaming in their kid's face-cussing-pulling on the arm-just plain nasty in public and Lord knows what happens at home:  I encounter these types of parents in so many public situations it makes me want to puke. They are sitting on their lazy bums not giving their child a bit of attention but man if something happens then they are all up in their face yelling and screaming and you can clearly see the child is scared out of their mind. When we were on vacation we were at the YMCA and this lady was not paying any attention to her rambuctous boys. One hit the other on the head and then nearly knocked over the candy stand because they were wrestling, well the lady FINALLY gets up off her booty and gets in the their faces and starts screaming about how they are terrible and that they are never going to do anything again in their lives and blah blah blah. Those poor boys were only trying to entertain themselves because their mom was so focused on her phone to give them any mind. UGH it just frustrates me when I see this type of parenting.

Of course there are the parents who fall in between and do a mix up of all and I am sure that the examples I have given you aren't strictly that type of parenting all the time. I am not judging any one said parenting style I just find it interesting that when one stops and looks around they can see so much.

I wonder what kind of parenting style someone who watches me would classify me in? I would hope that I am a combination of all of them but the last two!! I can tell you one thing, I am very far from perfect and often I wonder if I have failed my kids but then they do the tiniest little thing to make me realize I am doing a good job!

Friends...

Through my life I have learned that friends end up as your family and family often end up as your friends. Running a daycare makes this even more apparent to me because I have one giant extended family through all the people that come in and out of my home each day.

I literally have some of the greatest friends around, old and new!
I have been blessed to call my husband and my sister my best friends and the best friend naming doesn't stop there. I have two other very special BFFs who would do anything for me and "let the air out of someones tires" if need be and that is AMAZING to me! These four people in my life are what keep me grounded and sane! If not for them I would probably become a permanent resident of a plush, white walled room somewhere. So thanks to you guys for helping me through all the times- both good and bad!

I am for sure thankful for all the friends in my life not just my BFFs! It seems like lately I have added some great additions to the friend collection and these people are all very important to me as well.

It shocks me however that the word friend is often times over used or tossed around. I just can not understand when someone says they are your "friend" how they can do things that aren't friend like! Like for instance: people have tons and tons of "friends" on facebook but often times when they see these "friends" in public they don't even give them the time of day, seems kind of odd to me! I also think that true friends will take you for who you are and not try to change you. I have encountered these "fake friends" as I have started calling them many times and sadly looking back it started when I was younger and has only gotten worse.

Maybe if we all started to look at who we are calling our friends and make sure we are going to have their backs and going to help them not hinder them when the going gets tough and if not then don't call them a "friend" call them an "acquaintance"...

I will try to do better job....

Isn't it amazing how the sentence that is the title of this blog can mean so much?
For instance for me:

I will try to do a better job of keeping my blog updated...
I will try to do a better job at being a mother...
I will try to do a better job when dealing with friends and enemies...
I will try to do a better job sticking to my diet...

See how those words mean so much yet might be lost in the shuffle of life?

Anyhow, back to my blog, the one place I can let loose and show how I really feel, after all this is the reason I created this thing in the first place right? RIGHT!

There has been a lot happening in the Castrup Casa since I last posted. We have been through an entire summer and started school, yes I am way behind so I will go over our last few months in a nut shell!

April and May brought us the end of school and beginning of spring. We got through t-ball and pitching machine baseball without any major struggles. Kevin took a business trip and our house got plagued with the flu and not just the run of the mill typical ordinary flu... no it was the worst thing I have ever witnessed and poor Kalli took the worst of it. So daddy never gets to leave on business again. Kaden wrapped up his first year of actual school at Thomson and we were ready to dive into summer. I lost 30 pounds on a very strict and diligent diet plan and became a lot more aware of who I am as a person and how to live life to its fullest.

June and July lead us into Summer which used to be one of my favorite seasons but for some reason I got into a major funk this year and quite honestly didn't enjoy it like I normally do. I had extra kiddos with daycare and that was fine but we just seemed to be on the go constantly and I lost track of my weight loss goal and in a sense lost track of me and the new found living life to its fullest outlook. So I go back to that line I started with... "Next year I will try to do a better job of keeping my health and weight a priority!" Don't get me wrong we had a great summer and I enjoyed spending time with the kids outdoors and all the fresh yummy veggies our garden brought but I was just in a funk!

The beginning of August brought summer to a close and the end to my funk (thank goodness). It also brought us on a family vacation to Hastings Nebraska for a family wedding. It was a great trip and I enjoyed spending some quality, worry free time with my little family! I also decided to take a break from school until Kalli is closer to being in school full time because I am so close to being done and I don't want to burn out and not finish. It was a big decision but one I made with careful consideration and the full support of my wonderul husband. I have also started another round of the diet and plan to kick off that last little bit of weight and get back to running! School is back in full swing and we are on our normal routine now which makes this control freak of a mama very happy.

Like I said that is our past few months in a nut shell and I can only say that I will try to a better job of keeping my blog updated....