Are you a Good Mum? Yes, you ARE!

 So G Man has made a little friend at school whose name is Sam.

Sam lives with his Mum, Dad and three sisters just out of town and has had a few sleep overs here with the boys.

Its the first time I have had another child stay with us and I had to laugh when I had his Mum over for a cuppa a few days back and she said how much Sam liked staying here – cos he got a picnic for dinner!

I mean, I know G Mans dinners are not quite the norm, but I did have to laugh at the perception of them from the outside. 🙂

This made me think about the different ways we raise our children but ATEOTD all we want is well balanced, adjusted, confident children who know they are loved.

Here are some of the differences between the way G Man and Sam are raised.

Sam lives on a farm and does loads of outdoorsy “farm stuff” at home.

G Man has a backyard the size of a handkerchief and rocks the X Box and putting lego spaceships together.

Sam’s Mum serves him meat and three veg for dinner.

G Man eats some variety of meat, a tub of yoghurt, cheese and 2-3 different fruits for dinner. Every. Single. Night.

Sams Dad owns the town Butcher Shop and is home every night for dinner.

G Man’s Dad is a Police Officer and does shift work, sometimes not tucking in his boys for days at a time or weeks if he is acting up at another station.

Sam catches the bus to school with his older sisters.

I  drive G Man to and from school every day.

Sam lives in a fantasticly huge home which is always clean and tidy.

G Man lives in a pint sized GROH house and my housework skills are lacking.

Sam comes in for dinner when it gets dark out, as most farm kids do, when the farm work is done.

G Man eats dinner religiously at 5pm every night. Its the only way I can be an effective parent – I like a schedule.

Sam has both sets of Grandparents and cousins, Aunts and Uncles who live here in town, a fantastic support network.

G Man’s other relatives (and our support network) live MILES away and its a special occasion when he sees them.

Here are some of the similarities between the way G Man and Sam are raised.

They are both loved by their Mums and know it completely.

Their Mums both think they are totally amazing.

They are taught to be confident and to be proud of who they are.

They both know empathy, politeness and how to share.

They are both healthy.

They are both gentle in nature and eager to learn.

They are both beautiful little boys who I have no doubt will grow up to be even more amazing and gorgeous Men.

What I know….

It doesn’t matter what other people perceive your life to be from the outside; meat and 3 veg or a “picnic-style” dinner. Both are healthy and nutritious – who cares if one isn’t as PC as the other?

It doesn’t matter if you have a show home or a live in a house, slightly rough around the edges; both can be filled with love and yummy smells.

It doesn’t matter if you formula fed or breast fed your child or for how long; you did it for the best reason for you as a family.

All life skills are important, none more so than others. Eventually kids will be exposed to most things in life.

It’s what you TEACH your child that is important.

And I think Sam’s Mum and I nail it every day.