I have been discovering several very interesting and informative parenting websites recently.
Check out this article:
http://www.enjoyparenting.com/daily-groove/friend
Growing up, I remember my mom feeling happy that her and I were 'friends.' As a grownup, I began thinking the idea of parents and kids being friends was a bad one. To be honest, I have not thought about it a whole heck of a lot recently, perhaps because Ari is still little? This article raises an interesting point. What is a friend? Given the article's definition of what a friend is, I think being your child's friend can be a beautiful and powerful thing for all involved. Thoughts?
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I'm not such a big believer in this one. A parent's job is much deeper than a friend's job, and it has lots of responsibilities that a friend never will. A parent needs to lay down the law when necessary; needs to hold the line; needs to give a kick in the ass as well as a pat on the back. A friend can't do all of those things. I know that there aren't many people that love The Boy more than I do; G-d knows I spend enough time thinking and talking about him, and I spend more time around him than I do practically anybody else. But, while we're great playmates, and while we have fun and do things together, we're not really friends.
ReplyDelete@Musical Daddy, that is exactly what I struggle with/think about. Trust? A strong bond? Absolutely. You have those things with friends. So, in that sense, technically, it's possible. But I do agree with you wholeheartedly. I like the way you worded it. I have been reading a lot lately about positive discipline, not using consequences, etc. As you know, we have been big believers in Love and Logic for years now. So all these different points of view are giving me a lot to think about!
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