I’m eating my words.

I will never be one of those parents. You know the one that bribes her child with a cake pop so she can sip that coffee at Target. Or whose kid is playing with the iPad at a restaurant.

Yes, I really did make those statements to myself once upon a time. But I’m here to tell you that I am eating my words. 

Probably one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned about parenthood over the last two years is to set high standards for yourself (and your child) but for the love of Jesus, have flexibility, too.

Sometimes we all just have to do what is best for the sanity of all. It is for the greater good. One instance of this was at Target a couple months ago. I don’t like Madeline to have regular sweets but the terrible twos seemed to be overtaking every cell of her sweet little twenty-six pound body all at once. And it picked my weekly Target run to spew its ugly head.

All I wanted was a coffee. Corey was gone for the week. I was dealing with our construction project. A needy dog. A needy toddler. House work. Trying to get work done a few minutes at a time in the pockets of an already busy day. I really just wanted a cappuccino. And for Madeline to appreciate Target the way I do.

So I asked her if she would sit in the cart like a big girl (instead of wriggling herself loose from the buckle and trying to climb up me like a little tree monkey) if I got her a cake pop. To which, she said “yes, Mommy” and everyone’s sanity was saved.

Another such incident happened when I had to bring her with me to breakfast with two of my best girlfriends. Once she saw a little boy at the table next to us get a big stack of pancakes with whipped cream before we even got to place our order, crayons were flying and tiny little fists were pounding the table. So, once again, I ate my words and set my phone up for her to watch Daniel Tiger until her own breakfast arrived. It was there that I learned that a pop socket makes the perfect toddler tv watching stand for your phone.

Parenthood has definitely taught me a thing or two about patience, flexibility, and grace. We all have to adapt sometimes. And sometimes a cake pop while watching Daniel Tiger, isn’t the end of the world like I thought it was!