What do you do different with your younger kids that you would have never done with your older kids?



Here’s a basic example.  My older kids never ever had candy or ‘sugar cereal’ until they were in grade school.  And, soda?  Huge no-no.  Only negligent, irresponsible parents would do such a thing, right?



Gulp.  Now comes another true confession folks....

Let me set the stage.  Gary and I have five children.  The oldest is now 26, youngest is 16.  When the older kids were toddlers, they learned their colors in their highchairs like this…Apples are red; Oranges are, yes, orange; Lemons are yellow; Broccoli is green.  You get the picture.



Well, looking back, our two youngest children learned their colors in their highchairs as well…by eating M&M’s.  Right, Gabrielle, that’s a red one…good girl!!!!!  You can eat it now.



Whoa.  When did that happen?  Had I become one of those parents?



Maybe I had, but, in hindsight, I have no regrets.  I was so uptight when the older kids were toddlers, trying so hard to follow the unwritten right/wrong rules of motherhood.  Sugar, no sugar.  TV, no TV.  Spanking, no spanking.  And then there were the nap schedules.  Well, that’s a whole nother momversation.



There’s no doubt, I was much more relaxed with my younger two and, yet, it all worked out.  Certainly I was still following the basic rules of motherhood and nutrition, but with a little twist of picking and choosing my battles…with the kids and – this is important - with myself.  I think it made everyone in my house a bit calmer, regardless of the sugar in those M&M’s.



So, for those of you out there who have multiple children, what reckless motherhood debacles have you committed that, in the end, may not have made much of a difference at all?



Oh, yeah, and in closing can I mention…I can honestly say I never put soda in any of their bottles.  Whew.  One point for me. 

Lynn Mundy Coggin blogs at CocoBunga.