Elves on the Shelf

I didn’t buy into the elf on the shelf stock. I should have. From what I’ve heard it’s pretty tight parenting stuff. Building memories, magic, and tradition, and teaching kids to follow the rules all in one setup. I can barely get myself to the post office before they close. Starting traditions that require contracts is beyond my level of dedication to anything that isn’t treading water.

I can definitely thread successful kids who come through my classes to families with very stable homes with one parent dedicated to the kids’ lives. It has a history of evidence I can’t deny.

And then, contrary to the norm, the kids who have some of the most unusual family situations I’ve encountered and hang out in my room every day are funny, sharp, fascinating, and insightful. They have a lot of drama, and plenty of challenges, but I really just love all of their hard edges.

So what does that mean? How do you raise a good kid? I’ve got nothing sure here. Mine kinda get the short end of the stick between everything we have to do. We’re working, handing off, packing the kids with us on our journeys, rather than the other way around. 

And if you heard Amaya saying yesterday that I ruin everything, well, I won’t disagree that some of that’s parenting and some of that’s mistake making. I guess figuring out the difference will mean I’ve arrived.

For what it’s worth:

I have two kids who look in pictures like they’re getting the kind of parenting I wish I was giving. I’ll take it. At least until I figure out what I’m doing. And I guess for now we’re doing ok.

(Plus they do have magical powers. Like waking up before light almost every day.)