Parenting Stuff I'm Glad that I've Done

My blogging mo-jo has got up and went lately. Busy schedule, too much going on, and I'm sapped. So I'm referring back the to great blogging topics that were given to me on this post. Casey asked, "What's the best parenting decision that you've made?"

I actually feel that we've made some decent parenting decisions in the past 2.5 years. I guess that's the benefit of being an older parent. I feel wiser, but often lack the energy that a younger parent would have. It's a trade off. (Not that younger parents can't make good parenting decisions. I feel that I've made more time to think about what kind of parent I wanted to be.)


1. Breastfeeding - I'm so thankful that we've been able to breastfeed. We are practicing child-led weaning, and Ladybug is slowly weaning, on her time, the way it should be. And I'm thankful that I have enjoyed that part of our relationship enough to allow her to lead the way.

2. Co-sleeping - I know this wasn't a popular decision among family and friends, but it works for us.

3. Parenting by instinct - We do follow some Attachment Parenting principles, but we parent by instinct. I read lots of parenting books and websites when I was pregnant, and some of the popular advice just didn't seem right to us. We read the advice that is out there, and listen to counsel from others, then make our decisions.

4. Teaching Ladybug sign language - Oh.My.Word. I am SO thankful that we did this. We started with just a few signs at birth, Ladybug signed back at 4.5 months old, and now she knows almost 200 signs. We want this to be the foundation for American Sign Language as a second language. Now as a verbal toddler, signing helps clarify what she is trying to say when her pronunciation isn't quite clear. Plus it's fun!

5. Being a stay-at-home mom - another opportunity for which I am very thankful.

6. Learning more about good nutrition and whole foods - There are a lot of changes that I still want to make in regards to our diet and nutrition, but we are worlds away from the fast food and convenience food that we used to live on.

7. Discovering my inner art teacher - I love all the art projects that we've done so far. We're taking a break from our ABC Bible verses for the holidays, but we still do at least one craft a week when my nieces are here.

8. Teaching Ladybug to pray - I guest-blogged about that over at Impress Your Kids.

9. Deciding not to fully participate in Halloween, not to do Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy.

10. Deciding to wait over a year before trying to get pregnant after losing Susie. Grief is a good thing, people. Don't be in a hurry to move on with your lives when you lose someone you love.

And a bonus!
11. Allowing God to guide us in all of our parenting decisions. The best parenting advice I ever received was this: PRAY. Commit your lives and your children's lives to God. And it really is the best advice I could ever give.


For more Top Ten lists, visit ohamanda.com.