Spreading the Fun Around: Working on Mommy’s Fun Levels

I would like to think that I’m a fun person. You can usually spot me on the dance floor at weddings, wine glass in hand, trying not to embarrass my husband and generally failing. Though I’m a fun person, I’ll admit that I have an uptight side…I’m a proud rule follower. Line cutters infuriate me, and it used to deeply bother me if I owed a fine at the library. Baby and toddler behavior books are my bibles, and I like to stick to our routines at home almost to the minute.

As a mother, I don’t want my son to think I’m uptight. I want him to know the fun mom. 

Good Cop, Bad Cop

My son is two years old, and any parent of a two-year-old knows that this is the time we naturally start disciplining, especially since toddlers love testing boundaries (and boy, does my son love to test his boundaries). Rules need to be established to help shape our little guy into becoming a decent human being. It takes a lot of patience to shape someone into a decent human being, and we just got started! It’s hard to resist the cute yet ornery sideways glances we get when our son is doing something he knows is wrong. 

In pretty typical fashion, I’m the primary enforcer of rules with our son. My husband is a bit more relaxed than I am. Anyone who knows us well would not be surprised by this. However, I am surprised with how quickly I became the bad cop. 

At the End of the Day, Mommy Needs to Chill

I’m going to challenge myself from here on out. When my son is acting up on purpose, I’m going to make an effort to take a step back, take a breath and not react. Basically, I need to chill. My husband is very even-keeled, so I need to channel him in my quest to be a more chill mom. Putting too much pressure on my son to behave will turn him into…me. 

So when my son asks me to sit down and play with him, I’m going to put down the laundry I’m folding and play. The work email can wait five minutes while we watch an episode of Blippi together. When he asks me to run circles around the house, I’m going to do it. I can be the fun mom.