Why we are fine with being the meanest moms

Twice my preschool-age son went to the Ringling Brothers Circus, and twice we left at intermission.

Heather serves her children vanilla yogurt or berries and calls it dessert. She routinely steals the chocolate treat from their cocoa servings before they have noticed it. Heck, usually she doesn’t even let them drink a full cocoa, she cuts it with milk and blames the super hot temperature.

We buy “all-you-can-visit” membership passes to zoos and museums so we can clear out at the slightest hint of a tantrum without worrying that we have wasted money on single-use tickets.

Are we the meanest moms around?

I would argue not.

We simply share a philosophy that small children need everything in small doses.

An easy example: I would not serve a 2-year old a full surf and turf meal and ask her to clean her plate. Why would I expect her to enjoy a full day at Disneyland? Well, I didn’t!

While we took our big boy to Disneyland, we left little sister at home.

Her day included a visit to the Disney store with Grandma. Is that so wrong? She got three healthy meals and a long nap, plus time to unhurriedly fondle Snow White costumes and stuffed Nemos at her own pace.

At the end of their trips, they both got the age-appropriate dose of Disney (and we saved big on park admission prices!)

Travel can be full of exciting experiences for kids, but their ability to process entertainment, food, and other stimulation is on a smaller scale than ours.

So if you see me eating my daughter’s cupcake at a birthday party this weekend, you’ll understand why. I do it for HER.