Se7en + 1 Parenting Tips From the Father Person…

And so begins the season of September birthdays in our home, with a Happy Brilliant Birthday to the Father Person…

And I could write a post about what a fabulous dad he is… and how I couldn’t possibly raise this gang of wild and crazy kids without his help, or his sense of humour. But instead I thought I would provide a more useful post… packed with parenting tips from the father person himself. So I have been asking him for his personal parenting tips for the last couple of weeks. A man of few words, but if you add up the total number of years of his kids that’s 101 years of parenting experience… that has to count for something…

1. The Vomit Test: If you want to buy a baby product, first vomit on it, if you can’t clean it off, then don’t buy it.
2. You Only Have Two Hands: You can’t push a stroller and a shopping cart. Buy a sling and save on the stroller.
3. The Glue Gun Test: They are going to break it, whatever it is, if you can’t fix it with a hot glue gun, then don’t buy it.
4. On Toilet Training: Teach them how to dress themselves before you introduce toilet training, for obvious reason.
5. On Chores: If they can drive an i-device, then they can work a washing machine, dishwasher and any number of other appliances.
6. On Time Management: Stop teaching your children to count to three. And if you are leaving in five minutes you don’t have to announce it, just get up and go, they will follow you.
7. On Babysitting: If I have to go out or work, then he parents his kids, he doesn’t babysit them. He might have a different parenting style to me, but that’s a good thing.

And the se7en + 1th tip

8. On Height: Never underestimate them. Children are short not stupid.

There you are, short and precise… 101 years of parenting wisdom summed up in eight points!!!