“We matter, too.”
The first time my husband said these words to me, I shot him a dirty look and asked “What is that supposed to mean?” He said those three words after several stressful dinnertime meltdowns spent trying to get our toddler to eat.
How can we matter when our kid won’t eat more than chicken nuggets and goldfish crackers? I thought.
Sure, our dinners had been beyond miserable for more than a week while trying to expand my child’s palate. But that comes with the territory of raising kids, right?
But then I started to get it. There can be a happy medium. Our children control pretty much every part of our day, and it’s not always pleasant. I’m okay with that, but it doesn’t mean that we as parents can’t consider what we want sometimes.
By saying we matter too, all my husband wanted was to find a way for our family to try and have an enjoyable meal, even if it meant my son wouldn’t eat his fruits and vegetables.
My husband and I parent under the theory that you prepare your child for the road and not the road for your child. When he said we matter too, I realized this is just one more step towards teaching our children that the world does not revolve around them, and they won’t always get what they want.
Yes, I want the best for my children, but I also want them to learn to be considerate of others. My goal as a parent is to give them the tools to be a kind and productive person, ready to eventually deal with the good and bad life throws at them.
And those lessons start at the dinner table, because parents…we matter too.
