Back at it...AGAIN!

Back at it AGAIN!

So many of you know about my … difficulty with co-parenting. I’ve cried many tears over the end of my relationship with my daughter’s father. Beat myself up over and over and over because we aren’t the ideal co-parents. Wondering where in the heck we went wrong. But it all boiled down to pushing all the BS aside because co-parenting matters to me. Because my daughter having 2 functional reliable parents means more to me than anything. Anything.

So why are we beefing AGAIN!!!

Long story short: there was some name calling, some raised voices, and a phone hung up in my face. Now he feels I’m a neglectful parent…claims other people see it too….

How dare, how dare, how D-A-R-E he call me a neglectful parent when he is only a “parent” Monday through Thursday from 3-8pm. How dare he tell me I’m neglectful, when I ensure that all of my daughter’s needs are met…and more. How dare he, how dare he.

My blood is b.o.i.l.i.n.g.

I know why he called me that. A few weeks back he didn’t bring her home by a certain time; I got frustrated and said I’ll pick her up for the rest of the week. He felt I was neglecting my daughter from seeing her daughter. But neglect is not a word I would EVER use. I have never called him a neglectful parent, I’ve used some other not so nice words before, but never neglect.

I will NOT apologize for wanting my daughter to follow a schedule. And I will NOT apologize for feeling like he needs to be more communicative with me when changes occur. I mean, when she came home late she wanted to eat, and then there was our bedtime ritual. He is definitely not offering to come help me with that. That is on me. And when she was cranky the next morning, I had to deal with that. Not him.

So we are back at it again. Again, again, again. And I’m not so sure the end result will be a positive one for either of us.

So WHAT do I do??? I sent him a not so nice text after our conversation, and I have not heard from him, nor have I reached out again. I want to just get away, move away from him. But that wouldn’t be in the best interests of my daughter. Where is there a middle ground? I’m really not so sure it exists anymore.

So What I'f I'm not a Celebrity Single Mom

I'm happy to announce that I am now part of the WeParent community!! WeParent is a community of parents and parent advisers striving to give our children one of the keys to a happy, healthy and fulfilled life…a strong family.  We are on a mission to support and lift up mothers and fathers like us who are living apart but parenting TOGETHER!

I'm even more excited to share my first post on WeParent to all my readers!!

The post is titled :

So What I'f I'm not a Celebrity Single Mom

My post talks about how celebrity single moms are glamorized and viewed as heros and supermoms, but regular single moms like me don't get the same respect.

Click HERE to read So What I'f I'm not a Celebrity Single Mom

 

Kid leash = Child cruelty?

You see them at the mall. You see them at the airport. You see them at the aquarium and museum.

Kids.on.Leashes.

Companies who make them try to make them look and sound sooo. NOOO! Leashes are now nestled inside a teddy bear or penguin bag pack that toddlers run around in. I call em kid leashes (cause that’s what they are!), but they’re being sold with such wonderful loving names like Mommy’s Helper Kid Keeper Harness and Playful Pal Bag pack Harness. They are leashes. For our children. Something is very very wrong with this picture. We leash our dogs because they are animals.

Why leash children? I’ve heard the “logic” behind it. Parents are concerned for their child’s safety in crowded places. Young children tend to be unpredictable so instead of holding their hand, they put a leash on them and call it a day. Hmm…I still don’t get it. Carry them, pick them up, or put them in a stroller. Why would someone even consider a leash? It has never crossed my mind to use a leash on my 4 year old daughter. Where ever she was, I was. No questions. She never left my sight, especially in crowded places. Kids are naturally curious little creatures. They love wandering and seeing the world on their own without being under the watchful eye of Mommy or Daddy. I get it kids are curious.

In April of 2009 a woman was arrested and convicted of first degree child cruelty, for using a leash on her child. While this case was severe (the woman was dragging her child on the ground) but is putting your child on a leash be considering child cruelty. I know it may be a stretch, but it’s something to think about.

Based on a poll at parentsdish.com, the majority of readers wouldn’t use a leash on their child.

Never. It’s ridiculous and over the top 46%

I might, depending on the outing 32%

Yes. You never know what could happen 22%

  

Are leashes silly? Sensible? Child cruelty? Bottom line is as far as I’m concerned kid leashes are for lazy parents who don’t want to keep up with active kids. I’ll never understand it.