Trust Your Gut
When I imagined myself as a parent, I always imagined that I would be much tougher than I am. I just knew that I'd set all these rules and boundaries and never budge or allow them to be compromised or moved. I mean, hey, I could do it while I was babysitting my nieces and nephews so my own kid should have been a piece of cake, right? Ha! What I have discovered is that when it is my own child, whose kicks I felt (and cussed over) and whose growth I was personally responsible for (even through hyperemesis gravidarum and heart failure), being a boundary keeper is no longer a piece of cake! When I realized how difficult it is for me to stick to the things that I just knew that I would always stick to, I became afraid that I'd be a parent whose kid just ran over them. I knew that, not only was that bad for me but, it was bad for my daughter. Developing into a kind, respectful person is vital for her and it is my job to see to it that she learns the necessary lessons for that. I