I’m Emily and I blog over at The Journey of Parenthood… (www.journeyofparenthood.com). I have a four year old son, Kye, and a 19 month old daughter, Britt. I was first introduced to Babywise when Kye was three weeks old and consider Valerie’s blog one of the main reasons I am a Babywise Mom today!!!
Babywise blesses my life in many ways but now that both of my kids are down to one nap a day and we’re out and about more I have been enjoying all the compliments I hear from strangers on a regular basis about my children. As a parent there is nothing more rewarding than to have someone compliment your child. It’s better than getting a compliment about yourself for sure!
In the first Babywise book it discusses how people will say how happy and content your baby is, and that is SO true. From early on we heard things about Kye and Britt’s happy demeanors and content personalities. As babies we heard how easy going they were, what good eaters we had, and how “lucky” we were that they slept so well.
As they have gotten older, the compliments have only gotten better. Britt is in that tough “trying twos” stage but even her tougher moments in my eyes don’t present themselves like the “norm” for this age.
We were recently in a store and I let my children “be free” while I shopped. It’s a small kids clothing store and we were the only ones shopping. I could see the play area from where I was shopping and checked on them constantly! Kye sat quietly and did legos the entire time. He never got out of the chair. He was so quiet I totally could have forgotten he was with me! He spoke nicely to other children when a few shoppers entered the store and offered to share the legos with them. He did not get upset when his sister knocked over his tower (on more than one occasion! Little sisters, right?!) He also responded with a “yes ma’am” the first time I told him to clean up and cleaned up all the legos, including ones other children had played with and left out.
Britt, being in that “tougher” stage, did not sit as well as her older brother. She is more of an active personality (thank the Lord for independent playtime at home as it’s really helping her with her ability to sit still and focus on things!) and wanted to be with me while I shopped. However, she did not one time touch any of the clothing hanging on the racks. She didn’t pitch any fits. She didn’t cause any disruptions at all. When she did do something that was unacceptable behavior (she walked behind the counter while I was checking out, for example) I corrected her and she obeyed with no issues.
Neither child had any kind of behavior issue. Neither one asked for me to buy something for them nor did they get upset when it was time to leave. While my shopping did take longer than it would have alone, it was still a very pleasurable outing for us all!
The workers at the store were in complete awe of my children and their behavior. I don’t often let my kids have that type of freedom when out and about, but I was SO proud of how they behaved and really did appreciate all the compliments they received. It was one of those moments where I was able to sit back and say “I’m doing something right as a parent!”
I love that I can take my children with me places and not worry about being embarrassed. My heart always goes out to those mamas who have to deal with children who are screaming or pitching fits (and we’ve ALL had those moments now and then) and I’m so thankful that it’s not a “norm” for me with my kids.
The most common compliments I hear from strangers about my children (other than how cute they are, which is always nice to hear but the ones related to their behavior or personalities are even better!) include what a great listener Kye is, how smart he is, how well behaved they are, how Britt’s personality is so friendly and outgoing, how much you can tell they love each other, how well they share and how their joy lights up the room.
I truly attribute all of these compliments as well as their behavior in public to Babywise. They are well rested with full tummies and have been trained to obey Mommy and respect others. They know what is expected of them and know the consequences if they decide to make poor choices. They also are truly happy children and it shows!
While Britt may be in a more difficult stage right now I am fully confident that she will be sitting quietly and playing nicely like Kye soon and I love knowing that our future children will also be just as well behaved and will receive just as many compliments from strangers! Just another way that Babywise is a true blessing for our family 🙂