What's the worst parenting mistake you ever made?

Question

We all know that parenting is the most difficult job on earth and the precious little darlings don't come with instruction books. Therefore it stands to reason that we will all screw it up now and then. How badly have you screwed it up?? Maybe we can learn a little something from each other.

Answer 1

I would say that not being "consistent" with discipline.

All children need unconditional love, and discipline.

Loving your child is easy, discipline can be tough.

Many working mothers have some type of guilt, especially when the children are younger.(When your child cries as you drop them off at daycare, it can be a heart breaker for mothers and fathers...more so for mothers)

So, in order to make ourselves feel less guilty, we have the tendency to cut our children too much slack, and are not consistent with our discipline; therefore sending our children mixed signals.

I find that it is better not to set limits that I may not be able to enforce...i.e...go to your room and stay there for one hour...I would find myself not being able to listen to the whining for more than 15 mins...so, I changed the time out...from one hour...to just 15 mins..and it did help me to be consistent, without getting really frustrated.

Every child is different, and responds different to discipline...and mother's know their children best...and should use and do what they know will work best for their child and themselves.

Whatever you decide..just be consistent. :)

Answer 2

Listening to others especially the ones w/no kids, we learn as we grow as a family, there r no good or bad parenting, it's all a growing and learning experience as long as there is unconditional love ands support you'll be fine, these r the lives u created and guess what it is u mom/dad reincarnated believe that just wait until they r old enough you'll see it, I did and I have 5 and they all have a resemblance of me/dad it's funny watching someone become u guy's all over again, spoiling is the worst ever, but u only live once.

Answer 3

I have truly loved and would I say laughed my butt off at maximum of those lol. if its my greatest parenting mistake you want i visit provide it to you yet i'm sorry reason its not an truly humorous one. 8-9-ninety seven I gave start to twin boys ( preemies) Donald and Donovan in DEC. ninety seven on a Tuesday Donovan (3 months old )wasn't feeling good so I took him to the wellbeing care professional and the after hour health center they stated he had a chilly and the hives in simple terms provide him Tylenol and benadryl 2 days later Donovan broke out in whelps back, in the course of the evening took him back on Thursday and beg the Dr. to do blood attempt the Dr. stated nope it become the hives he reassured me that he become ok and its general for little ones to get hives. I called to make and appt inclusive of his reg Dr. on Friday yet they couldn't see him till Monday my little angel died Sunday evening on 12-7-ninety seven 2 days earlier he would were 4 months old, in his crib mattress at 8:00 pm from sepsis. that is an untreated an infection which could were detected in a blood attempt I stay with this prevalent and hate myself for trusting this Dr. and not in any respect being extra continual, its the most important mistake I have ever made in my existence!

Answer 4

I suppose the biggest mistake I made would be to not get a life of my own!!!
The last of my children moved out a few months ago,( oldest is 27, youngest is 20) and now I don't know what the heck to do! I lived my entire life for my kids and now that their not here I miss them DESPERATELY. YUCK!! I work and have friends but I cry most of the day and want to call them all the time, but I don't call. I figure if they miss me they will call! I don't want to butt into their lives and just because I feel like mine is kind of empty I want them to be happy and fulfilled. Oh well, that's my mistake!

Answer 5

My worst mistake was running away from the problem of controlling teens. I just left and let them run the house. They had big drinking and pot smoking parties and the neighbors called the cops saying it was a crack house. It was too difficult to stand up to them and i ran away (to my boyfriend's house) which was a big mistake. I should have been more of an enforcer. I was bad at being the "bad guy" but they needed it.

Answer 6

I'm not a parent yet cause im only 19 but the worst parenting mistake is not being there for ur child physically and emotionally also not getting in the life's and knowing what their doing with friends cause they say they doing this and that but really they knocking the boots with some one and they end up being hurt! i mean they can have privacy but not that much!

Answer 7

When me, my husband and all three kids got a stomach bug. We put a TV in their playroom. That was the worst mistake EVER.
We were so tired and worn down even AFTER we stopped being "sick"....that we didn't have the energy to take the TV back out. So they went to bed every night with the TV on.

We finally got back up on our feet and took the TV out, but it was hard knowing that you didn't have enough strength to be an effective parent.

It seems that our schedule and rules get very messed up when they are all sick (and especially so if WE are sick).

Answer 8

I smacked my kid across the face once. I still feel bad. It wasn't hard enough to leave a mark, but it scared the hell out of the poor guy. He'd just ruthlessly killed my second betta. On purpose. He definitely deserved to be punished but I went too far. I'm alright with a smack on the butt, but I still can't believe I lost it like that. I yelled a lot too. It only made him more belligerent, so no power was gained by my unfocused anger.

Answer 9

Ohh I know one. You see, my son had gotten all A's and my daughter had gotten all A's except for 1 B. At a party, I couldn't stop going on and on about my son, and then realized that I hadn't said anything about my daughter. To make things worse, my husband proceeded to go around talking about how our son was the star baseball player. I know it isn't as bad as some other ones, but this is the most recent.

Answer 10

My parents made all my decisions for me so I never learned to make mistakes in a safe environment.Let kids make decisions while you are there to back them up.Help them learn from their mistakes.When they leave home,they will take those lessons with them.