Parents-To-Be

I just realized that not a day goes by that Husband and I don't talk about future parenting methodologies and stuff. Heck, I sometimes present him hypothetical scenarios to see how he'd handle a particular situation, since he will be Mr. Mom. I definitely have complete confidence in his overall parenting skills, but when it comes to some behavioral stuff, I want to be sure he'd handle it the way I would like (said the BCBA candidate) (e.g., what do you do if our son throws a major tantrum in a store? How do you prevent that?) We typically agree for the most part. (I hear that what we discuss/agree on can be different once baby is actually here, but it is reassuring for now to know that we agree.)

Our discussions have ranged from night-time feedings in the first months to schooling to what-ifs (what if our son wants to be a rapper? I said, Uh, I might have to nip that one in the bud... What if our kids want to dress a certain way to portray an image that we may not like? As long as our kids have their ethics, morals...and grades in check, we are okay. Although we will not consent to a sexualized piercing, like in middle school...which I often see at my work and it still shocks me.) Today, after our re-discussion about teaching our kids to be sure to say "please" and "thank you," I said, please also make sure that our kids learn to always push in their chairs. For some reason, it bugs me when people/kids don't push their chairs in.

Sometimes I wonder if my worries of what our kid(s) will be like when they're in middle school and high school are warranted or exaggerated. I work in a low-performing school...where kids care so much more about their reputation, image, and romantic relationships than their grades/future. Now, I know in middle school, it is a typical time to start individuating, but when I see kids coming with lots of make-up, hoochie tops with cleavage cracks bare, lip and tongue piercings, etc., it's hard for me not to worry about what my kids will end up looking like for the sake of their teenage image. Yesterday, when I was leaving work, I saw a group of about 5 girls surrounding 2 girls. One was loudly cussing at the other girl about disrespecting her, how she better come real, etc. The other girl stood with her arms crossed simply saying, "whatever." I thought, what a show just for the other 5 girls.

I know I could have easily yelled, "Hey! Break it up!" but sadly, I could care less. The last thing I want is some middle school girl shoving me over while I'm pregnant (I'm serious; I am doing high-risk maneuvers when I happen to be caught in the hallways during passing periods. These kids bump into me, not saying excuse me or sorry, and just laugh it off in front of their peers like it was cool for them to accidentally side-swipe a 7.5 month pregnant lady.)

I think I'm totally going on a tangent. =P Even though I have these worries (that I think might be typical), I also feel really confident in Husband and my soon-to-be-learned-parenting skills. We have great parents who have instilled in us important characteristics and qualities. We have great new parent friends that we certainly learn a lot from, too. We also bring our own life-experiences to the table. Besides, we also subscribe to some stellar parenting magazines and if all else fails, we have the world wide web to consult. ;)

One thing's for sure -- I am very thankful that Husband and I are partners-in-crime for life.