This question was asked of me by a friend who is a relatively new parent. The first thought that came to mind was “Well, you should have talked about this in the first place!” Of course, I didn’t say that. After a few moments of thinking, I had to qualify my “mind statement.” Indeed, there are many things that you talk about before you get married and start a family. However, it does not mean that everything goes as you plan. We all know that, don’t we?
So what do you do when you have kids and you and your partner have differing views when it comes to raising your children? Who is to be followed? How do you instill discipline?
A few things have come to my mind since that conversation. If I were to find myself in that situation, one of the things that I would seriously consider is to take the advice of those who have come before me. Parenting classes, perhaps. Or maybe counseling sessions. Advice from my parents. Advice from older friends who have had more experience. Any kind of input, I would welcome. I would go through the information with my husband and sift through it – find what we can use.
Another important thing would be to talk it over thoroughly with my husband. I think that the most important thing is to be able to present a united front. We need to reach an agreement – compromise in different aspects. It is not going to be easy but it is workable.
How about you? What would you do if you were in this situation?
Originally posted on June 10, 2008 @ 10:30 pm
