I’m a lawyer and sometimes I just want to have things black and white.  Yes, I know – that is so not possible.

I’ve been trying to think of the kind of person I want to be and the rules I want to live by.  I came up with a few and then my kids got involved:

Me:

• Be consistent.
• Be on time or at least give lead time if I’m going to be late.
• Do what I say I will do, and if I can’t … let the person know and why.
• Be fair, even in an argument.
• Be sensitive to and don’t discount others feelings.
• Return calls or texts as quickly as possible.
• Don’t overreact when things go wrong.
• Never say things I can’t take back or that I will need to take back.  The words hang there for a long time.
• Don’t dig up old wounds.
• Respect boundaries – especially my own,
• Be a good listener.
• Pay attention to the little things.
• Give as much love and positive energy as I can.

My kids:

• Kids don’t need as much sleep as parents think.
• There’s no such thing as texting too much.
• Kids need to sit around all summer, it helps them get ready for the next school year.
• Don’t pick kids up late and don’t get someplace too early.
• Kids are going to be cranky sometimes.  It’s ok.
• Kids sometimes don’t want to deal with all that “energy” from their mom.
• It’s also ok if kids forget to do some homework or homework sometimes. (say what??)
• Kids wants pets (read: dog) but they really can’t get up early to walk it.
• Kids learn about real life from watching Sponge Bob.

Obviously, we’ve got a lot to work on over here to meld our lists!

Have a great day!