“Daddy, I love you… even more than Mommy.”
Cue the violins and the sound of my heart breaking.
Truth is, I should’ve seen this coming. I chalk this up to being The Enforcer. In my household, that’s what I am. As a WAHM, I have the unenviable job of taking away privileges, enforcing bedtimes, doling out punishments and time-outs, and generally being the bad cop. Don’t get me wrong – hubby partakes in his share of the discipline and backs me up when it’s called for. But, there’s something about being the at-home parent that automatically makes me the bad guy sometimes. I guess I can take heart in the fact that I must be doing something right (setting boundaries, disciplining with consistency) if I’m not always the preferred parent. Because, as much as I want my kids to like me, sometimes they need to know I’m their parent first, and friend second. And, in the end, they’ll love me more for it. In fact, I think I hear my daughter calling for me right now… “Mommy, I want YOU to put me to bed.”
There’s nothing I’d rather do. 🙂
