Do you ever get to the expert phase?

[Guest guest]

Talking to someone yesterday (not a mother herself) how - despite 9 years of

motherhood, I still feel that I'm playing at it, and still feeling my way.

No sooner do you get to feel that you know what it's all about, then thing

rules change, and you start all over again. I've been through the baby,

toddler, pre-school phases and now the school-age kids. I've got the

pre-teens and teens to come. Is there ever a time when you've sussed it?

Debbie Slater

Perth, WA

[Guest guest]

> Talking to someone yesterday (not a mother herself) how - despite 9

years of

> motherhood, I still feel that I'm playing at it, and still feeling

my way.

> No sooner do you get to feel that you know what it's all about,

then thing

> rules change, and you start all over again. I've been through the

baby,

> toddler, pre-school phases and now the school-age kids. I've got

the

> pre-teens and teens to come. Is there ever a time when you've

sussed it?

>

> Debbie Slater

> Perth, WA

Of course!! It's called being a Granny (AKA MIL) - she knows

EVERYTHING about how you " should " be doing things, but then of course

HER kids were SOOO perfect! She knows that you do things you wish

you didn't, and that you don't do ANYTHING properly, and that it's

all your fault when things go wrong - well, you didn't do it her way

did you?!

Ruth

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Ruth wrote:

> Of course!! It's called being a Granny (AKA MIL) - she knows

> EVERYTHING about how you " should " be doing things, but then of

course

> HER kids were SOOO perfect! She knows that you do things you

wish

> you didn't, and that you don't do ANYTHING properly, and that it's

> all your fault when things go wrong - well, you didn't do it her

way

> did you?!>>>>>>>..

I've got one of them!!!!!!!!!

Mine even bf all her (all 2 of them) children but she managed to fit

a rusk into the last feed of the day for the eldest boy. How she

managed this I wondered for years until a month or so ago when she

was whittering on again about it and I thought now or never so I

asked her and she replied that her memory must be failing her and she

must have not BF him for as long as she thought.

Since then she has not been as bad.

Trisha

SAHM to 3 boys

[Guest guest]

Well, with DS I feel I have sussed it, cause I've done the 1-year old

stage before!! But of course, with DD I'm at a loose end as I have no

idea what to do with 3-yearolds...

Who gets the worse deal I wonder... I guess he might get the

experience, but she is getting the excitement and the 'novelty' of it

all...

Karina

Is there ever a time when you've sussed it?

>

> Debbie Slater

> Perth, WA

>

>

[Guest guest]

Is there ever a time when you've

> sussed it?

> >

> > Debbie Slater

> > Perth, WA

>

> Of course!! It's called being a Granny (AKA MIL) - she knows

> EVERYTHING about how you " should " be doing things, but then of

course

> HER kids were SOOO perfect! She knows that you do things you

wish

> you didn't, and that you don't do ANYTHING properly, and that it's

> all your fault when things go wrong - well, you didn't do it her way

> did you?!

OI! Speaking up for Us Grannies; I never pretend to know it all, or to

have known it all. And I am *still* picking my way along, learning

how to be a Granny; not too much of a pushover, still have my own

life (HECK I've earned it!) whilst being there for the kids/grandkids

when they really need me.

Ruthie

[Guest guest]

Now my DDs are 10 & 7 - I don`t profess to know it all, but I find it so

wonderful to sit back and watch them do things on their own....e.g. DD1

had a friend back after school, they decided between themselves to play

Cluedo, so got everything out, played a game, & had fun (though I had to

remind them to put it back in the box again!)

Just going anywhere without having to hold hands (in case they run off

in the road) - great.

Also seeing them make decisions themselves - what after school

activities, pocket money, clothes.

However, senior school looms, we have to decide which one in the next

week or 2 - and a whole new set of firsts are round the corner!

Barbara

[Guest guest]

>Is there ever a time when you've

>> sussed it?

>> >

>> > Debbie Slater

>> > Perth, WA

>>

>> Of course!! It's called being a Granny (AKA MIL) - she knows

>> EVERYTHING about how you " should " be doing things, but then of

>course

>> HER kids were SOOO perfect! She knows that you do things you

>wish

>> you didn't, and that you don't do ANYTHING properly, and that it's

>> all your fault when things go wrong - well, you didn't do it her way

>> did you?!

>

>

>OI! Speaking up for Us Grannies; I never pretend to know it all, or to

>have known it all. And I am *still* picking my way along, learning

>how to be a Granny; not too much of a pushover, still have my own

>life (HECK I've earned it!) whilst being there for the kids/grandkids

>when they really need me.

>

>Ruthie

Ah, but your only MIL status so far is to Uri's widow and she's in

the States now. It's a bit different if you are Mummy's Mummy.

Must say my mother has been superb. I think if she gives me advice

she must do it in a subliminal way.

And I have the advantage that DHs Dad's wife is not DHs mother - and

she's been supportive/held her tongue about most things. In fact the

main thing the in-laws have been a pain about (so far!) was their

belief that you ought to be paying someone else to look after your

children some of the time, otherwise they were bound to be suffering

socially (just didn't seem to understand about NCT coffees and

toddler groups)

--

jennifer@...

Vaudin