Count the Bad Mommies

Thursday, February 21, 2008

The Baby-Sitters

Yes. I am a bad mommy. A bad mommy that loves to blog and read others' blogs. This is how I entertain my child while I'm blogging. Meet, The Babysitters:

Angel Here, Reporting For Duty…

Kerryn has picked some awesome questions for this week’s homework. You know what; each week’s homework assignment is making my turn harder and harder! You mommies are hard acts to follow!

1. What is the one thing you have said or done to your kid that you regret the most?

Oh my friggin word… I think I could write a book on this topic alone…
Let’s just say that the number of times I have silently (and often tearfully) begged “please God don’t let him remember” is innumerable.
Everything from swearing at him in anger to smacking him on the head instead of on his backside.

2. Have you passed any bad habits on to your kid/s?

Sheesh… where do I start! Impatience. Bad temper. Speaking before he’s thought. Smoking.

3. Does your own mom rock or suck?

My mommy darling is the ultimate rocking mom! She sets a high standard when it comes to mommying... like allowing us to discover ourselves as we grew up. Even now, with four grown children, she manages to guide and aid her offspring without making us feel like she’s interfering!

4. How do you feel about TV, music, popular media around your kids? Anything in particular you feel strongly about not letting your kid/s watch/listen to/read?

When it comes to TV, music, books and such... I go with my gut instincts. I read and listen to everything Damien does and I pretty much allow him to make his own choices. If something troubles me- even if I can’t explain exactly why- then I will tell him so. If I feel his allowing a popular “trend” to influence his personality then I will not allow it in my house. As he gets older I allow him more “leeway”, though I tell him if something rubs me the wrong way.
I have always been very strict on age restrictions too- movies, music and games.

Pissed off is an Understatement!

Grade 8 (Standard 6) is understandably a difficult year for anyone...

But we are now in the second month of the year (less than 6 weeks into the school year and my son has had his school bag taken and stuff removed from it four times!!!
Now you must understand... His bag is on the field next to him when it gets taken...
So Far he has had his stationary, His School Jacket and today they tried to take his School Pullover..
Add to that he has had a fingernail ripped off his first week at school and he is a victim of a school bully (not at all related to theft) and it makes for ONE VERY VERY MAD MOM!!

I have been to to the school twice and I plan another visit tomorrow.. I am not sure how I am going to deal with this but I can tell you that I have it in mind to go there with a leather strap and lay into each and every kid that might be responsible.. :-@

Not sure if I will be allowed to so will ask first.

Anybody have any better suggestions on how to deal with is??

Frustrated and Angry Mom

P.S. Where is the law on stringing kids to bonnet and going for joyride??

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Homework as Submitted by B

1. What is the one thing you have said or done to your kid that you regret the most.
I smoked while I was pregnant.. with both of them.. :-( ( I didnt have the stunting of growth but I cant help but wonder how intelligent they wouldve been)
2. Have you passed any bad habits on to your kid/s?
lol, I don't know... I am the wrong person to ask.. I am of the thought that I have no such thing.. best you ask Sexy G this..
3. Does your own mom rock or suck?
My Mom Rocked 2 million Percent.. Just wish I told her more often...

4. How do you feel about TV, music, popular media around your kids? Anything in particular you feel strongly about not letting your kid/s watch/listen to/read?
Barney has a lot to answer for but not half as much as tinky winky and his other gay cronies...
I don't have TV at home so all viewing is monitered strictly by me and I dont allow Age inappropriate viewing at all.. ( I am a sucky mom, I know)

B

In pursuit of a genius child

1. What is the one thing you have said or done to your kid that you regret the most.

I’ve yet to. As I have said before … she is spoilt a little bit. But we're working on fixing her.

2. Have you passed any bad habits on to your kid/s?

Dancing for no reason. Like while chopping onions or waiting for my turn at the bank. It’s a dodgy trait, I know.

3. Does your own mom rock or suck?

The Dingbat is a paradoxical nightmare. I love her dearly but she can drive me utterly bonkers with anger.

4. How do you feel about TV, music, popular media around your kids? Anything in particular you feel strongly about not letting your kid/s watch/listen to/read?

To be honest I think living on the farm has turned the Pickle into a TV addict. She wakes me up with it at 5am. I’ve collected all the major children’s stories for her to read when she can and have told her the tale of Harry Potter to starry-eyed amazement. I’ll never censor what she reads, I’ll guide and hope like me, she will have read Animal Farm by the time she turns 8 and thinks the Bronte girls are pioneers.

sweets the mommy prima donna

1. What is the one thing you have said or done to your kid that you regret the most.

This is such a unfair question. I walk in shame. I smacked Kay over the head once, he is now 12 years old and still holds this against me.

What I also regret is that I told them what a loser their Dad is. I am a horrible person. My life was at that stage in total chaos/turmoil because of their Dad and I just lost it. I did apologise but I still feel horrible that I did that, that is the one thing a child never has to hear.

2. Have you passed any bad habits on to your kid/s?

They are both nail biters. Kay has kicked the habit but I'm still struggling to help Jay get over his "addiction". They both have bad tempers, oops...

3. Does your own mom rock or suck?

She is a rock star! I am blessed with the best Mom in the whole wide world, no kidding. She is the mother of my boys when I'm not around, she goes far beyond the call of duty and I can honestly say she loves my kids as her own. I love her dearly.

4. How do you feel about TV, music, popular media around your kids?

I try to keep violent TV from them, as well as too much sex, I don't want to over stimulate anything in their little minds.
We listen to music together, anything goes.
They play too much playstation and PSP...

5. Anything in particular you feel strongly about not letting your kid/s watch/listen to/read?

They don't like reading so they can read just about anything ;) I've taught them from a young age to be independant and to listen to their inner voice, if it doesn't feel right watching "this" I don't watch. I must admit that this has worked quite well up to now.

I wonder how I'm going to handle it when I get a dirty magazine hidden in their room... sigh.

I answer my own questions . . . .

1. What is the one thing you have said or done to your kid that you regret the most. I hate it when I use emotional black mail. And I do do it. And I hate it. I really, really try not to. I also don't like that I sometimes take my 'bad day at the office' moods out on her.

2. Have you passed any bad habits on to your kid/s?
Ha ha, that would depend on the definition of 'bad habits'. She doesn't smoke or drink or fart in company (yet), but she is very opinionated, and has inherited a bit of my OCD. She likes to be organised, and does not like disorder. I would like her to be a bit more relaxed than I am, but the apple does not fall far . . .

3. Does your own mom rock or suck?
Yes :-) My own mom totally rocks 99% of the time. I love her dearly, but she sometimes pisses me off. I blame this on her complete inability to do things my way.

4. How do you feel about TV, music, popular media around your kids? Anything in particular you feel strongly about not letting your kid/s watch/listen to/read?
I think, ultimately, Ciara will make up her own mind about stuff. I let her watch any kids programmes on TV. I adhere mostly to how movies are rated. I am very strict about language, sex and violence, which is not appropriate for a 7 year old (in my opinion). I also encourage her to stay young for as long as she possibly can. I am still pushing Winnie the Pooh (love him to DEATH) and Mickey Mouse club house. And hell, if she still wants to watch an old Noddy movie, then so be it.

I will not have her coform to the norm, and stop watching/reading/doing the things she loves because she is being told that it is too 'baby' by her classmates who are already concerned about make-up and fashion (at 7, FFS).

As Cami mentioned, I'm not a big fan of the Bratz either, but I don't really have to worry too much about it. Ciara is more of a Barbie girl, and though she has two Bratz she isn't obssessed with them (like some little girls I've seen.)

With me as a mom, she is not listening to the same music as her classmates (Beyonce/Britney/any other crap). She is being exposed to a lot of differenct types of music, and her current fav, although a bit old, is Dani California (RHCP). She can listen to anything she likes, but I'll keep my Eminem out of the car until she is a bit older.

Monday, February 18, 2008

CamiKaos gets strict

It's time once again for our weekly dose of homework answers... and this week I'm just jumping right in to tell you that...

What is the one thing you have said or done to your kid that you regret the most.

I am usually a very patient person, but there are times that K pushes my patience to the very edges of sanity and I have a tendency to snark at her or yell. I hate when I yell. Even if I've spent an entire week with my buttons being pushed poked and prodded I hate yelling... but it happens and I feel like and asshole.


Have you passed any bad habits on to your kid?

She is so unbelievably sassy and sarcastic... but I'm not sure that's entirely bad...


Does your own mom rock or suck?

My own mother is awesome times ten. Except that she lives too far away.


How do you feel about TV, music, popular media around your kids? Anything in particular you feel strongly about not letting your kid watch, listen to, read?

I feel poorly about alot of popular media around my kid... for sure. She is allowed to watch DVD's and things that I have TiVo'd so that I can skip all the commercials. She is not allowed to watch anything with teenwhores with their belly buttons bared and low cut shirts where their would be cleavage is. Bratz dolls are the bane of my existence and K has never had one. She has asked, I have said no. She has asked, I have said no, she has asked I have said no again and again and again. All of my friends know how I feel so their purchase of them has also been avoided... but if one of her little school friends ever gets her one I may freaking burst.

I HATE THEM.

As far as reading... I am just so proud of her for reading that she can read whatever piques her interest.

She can listen to all the music she wants that could be considered appropriate for a girl her age... and even much that isn't. The girl can sing about 10 jazz standards and twice that many blues songs. She's got half the Tom Waits catalog down too. Add that to her hearty respect and adoration of Captain Bogg n' Salty and her age appropriate love of Dan Zanes and we have high hopes for her musical appreciation.

But for the love of all things good keep the Bratz and the teen slut pop stars away from my kid.

Oh, and she isn't allowed to eat fast food... or ground beef... but that's really neither here nor there.

Homework - my turn

Posting this from my phone, so finger trouble must be forgiven :-)

1. What is the one thing you have said or done to your kid that you regret the most.
2. Have you passed any bad habits on to your kid/s?
3. Does your own mom rock or suck?
4. How do you feel about TV, music, popular media around your kids? Anything in particular you feel strongly about not letting your kid/s watch/listen to/read?

Okay folks, only four from me. It's been a rough week and this week ain't looking much better, but I'll definately be back to check your answers.

Sunday, February 17, 2008