Because I said so…

You know what?  As a mom, I find myself saying the strangest things…

•  Don’t lick your brother…
• Don’t bite the dog…
• Don’t put that in your mouth…your nose… your brother’s nose… MY NOSE…
• New rule – nobody gets to shove dirty laundry in anyone’s face even if they ARE singing Pitch Perfect songs wrong…

Yes,  parenthood has made me realize that sometimes we are just gonna be shocked that the questions our kids bring to mind.  Isn’t it fantastic?  #sincerityfont

One thing I don’t remember ever having said though is “Because I said so…” I don’t remember my mom ever saying that either although it was silently understood at times.

I don’t say that because the truth is, I want to explain the why – I want my kids to understand that there is a reason for everything.  That everything we do has some cause and effect that needs to be taken into account.

I want to understand that there is a reason for everything.  That everything we do has a cause and effect that needs to be taken into account.

Our actions and feelings – even when they aren’t about another human – still have the capacity to affect others and the “Because I said so” tends to have a negative connotation to me.  It says to me that the other person isn’t worth the effort to explain… the other person’s opinion isn’t valid… the other person’s feelings don’t matter.

That’s not the lesson I choose to teach my kids… that’s not how I want my friends to feel either.

I will not apologize though for sharing all the words.  I over-explain as a way to process everything and anything because with information comes clarity.  I am a firm believer in a few things and I add to this list as time passes.  Some of the things I hold very true:

• I believe people should know where the stand.  Always.
• No one can make decisions for another person without having walked every step in their shoes – so… never
• When you are honest with others, it becomes easier to be honest with yourself
• You should rarely do something without understanding the “why” – doing something because it’s just always been done is not a good enough reason to do anything.
• The “Why” behind your actions may change with new information.  You should embrace that.  In yourself and others.

I like to think that by taking the time to explain a lot of the “whys” my kids toss my direction, I’m giving them tools to look for the whys in their own life.  I’m hoping that I’m somehow teaching them to think for themselves instead of following the masses… After all, I’m trying to raise Lions… not sheep.