10 Be The Best Parent You Can Be
Updated on: September 2023
Be The Best Parent You Can Be in 2023
You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded), Revised and Updated Edition: Strategies for Bringing Out the Best in Your Strong-Willed Child
Only You Can Be You: What Makes You Different Makes You Great
I Will Teach You To Be Rich
Why Less Is More for WOSPs (Well-Intentioned, Overinvolved Sports Parents): How to Be the Best Sports Parent You Can Be
Love You Forever
Know Your Parenting Personality: How to Use the Enneagram to Become the Best Parent You Can Be
You Can Still Be D.A.D
How to be a Good Divorced Dad: Being the Best Parent You Can Be Before, During and After the Break-Up
The Sh!t No One Tells You: A Guide to Surviving Your Baby's First Year (Sh!t No One Tells You (1))
Brown Boy Brown Boy What Can You Be?
Learning How to Be a Parent
I never thought I'd end up being a parent, and then my guy and his 4 kids came along...
And then enter a fun night at the bar with my best friend, who said we were going to hang out with her guy friend for the night and would I please just be nice to him. Wanting to appease, I said that I would, and when he got in the car so we could go bar-hopping, I tried to be a beast but just couldn't cut it. I was in mucho LOVE with this man I hardly even knew, like instantly just felt like he was my long-lost lover the second he got in the car, and I spent the whole night trying to find things in common with him. I kept walking in front of him in the hopes of him checking my round swaying ass out so I could get and keep his attention. Fast forward about 5 hours and many, many drinks later, we're sleeping together and even though I knew he had 4 kids, (he talked briefly about them when I made fun of the toy box in his apartment), I knew I wasn't giving this man up for anything.
In fact, I met his kids on our second date, which was actually our first date, if you don't count the one-night stand. We all sat together awkwardly for dinner and I kept thinking, holy crap- he's got kids! 4 kids! I'm only 12 years older than his oldest kid! What the Hell did I get myself into?! and his kids kept showing off and doing those stupid, loud, messy, annoying things that I hate about children, and I contemplated bolting for the door in pure fright. I'm not cut out for kids- I hate kids! What am I doing?! But I knew I loved this goofy old man (I thought he was in his 20's when I met him- turns out he was 38, which made him all the more attractive, I have a thing for older guys) and figured if I was going to take him on, I was taking on the whole brood as well.
I truly and honestly love those kids, and after getting the thumbs up from his oldest daughter, me and my now fiance were in full dating swing, kids and all. I've grown to realize that while I hate everybody else's kids, I love HIS kids, and often think of them like younger siblings since I'm not that much older than his oldest daughter. I get to be the confidante about boys and friendships, peer pressure and popularity since I'm so close in age to his growing daughter. I get to be a boo-boo kisser, a time-out giver, a countdown timer, and a sock finder and peace maker. I get to be a parent out of utter nowhere, and it's a great learning experience, and I'm beginning to realize the true joy of having a family of your own.
Will I ever have kids of my own one day? I really don't know. My fiance would love to add on to the brood, and the kids would be stoked to have a younger brother or sister, but with my guy reaching 40 and me in my late 20's, I still believe I'm too young and he's too old for kids. I'm still terrified of babies and really don't want to mess with a good thing. I've got 4 kids- do I really need my own from my own womb? I'm perfectly satisfied right where I'm at.
Goodness, one day soon I'll be a step-mom. To a 14 year old, a 12 year old, a 9 year old, and a 6 year old. Not a huge deal if you already have kids of your own, but I'm only 26 years old and have rarely even held a baby and was the worst babysitter in the world, so for me it's quite the lifestyle change. But do I love it? Hell yes, I do, and I can't wait to officially become part of my ready-made family.
