... that what was good for other peoples' children isn't always right for yours?

My daughter is 4 1/2 and my son is 10 months and, though I always knew children were different and grew at different rates, I think it has just been this past year that I have come to terms that I might do things differently for my kids or that they might do something differently from their friends and that is OK.

Like I said, I always knew it but I never was comfortable with it and that probably stems from my inexperience as a parent.

Has anyone else noticed this with your own parenting?

This has also been hard for me.

Mine has to do with DS & sleeping in his own bed. Since we've moved into the new house he has had a TERRIBLE time going to sleep every night. I've tried everything under the sun to get him to go down but he fights it all night long. Finally I just put him in bed with me after he fell out of the crib onto his head! I know that this isn't a good thing to get started but I just feel like he's going through a phase and he needs to be closer to us right now. I may regret this in the future but for now it is what it is.

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I realized along time ago that everyone has an opinion on the correct way to raise a child, and they don't all work for everyone. Parenting is a learning experience where you have to figure out what works for you and your child. I think alot of it is based off of how much structure parents want their children to have. My kids happen to thrive on a schedule. Goof up their bedtime and they are crabby the next couple days.
I am not comfortable letting my girls just run in the neighborhood without supervision like the parents up the street. There is no way I would turn my 4 year old loose and say "have fun". I like that direct line of sight at that age. Now I let my 7 year old cross the street and go up a few houses to her friend's house without me.
As far as discipline goes we do are best not to yell, and I've only swatted them maybe once or twice. My father was very strict and mean, and I grew up crying quite a bit, and that's not how I'm raising my girls.

I would say I have always known and done this. even as a kid. I guess my mother taught me this as a kid and I just followed her lead. It is much harder to actually practice it.

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allgirls, mom to 3 girls

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