I love the beginning of this article from Moomah The Journal, because it’s so true! Before you become a parent, you are an excellent parent – full of the certainty that you will not fall into the clearly bad parenting habits that others have. And then you have a baby and suddenly feel quite willing to adjust some of your pre-baby principles in exchange for a moment or two of peace and quiet.

Barbie Angst

Before my husband and I had children, we were excellent parents. We would tsk parents who allowed their children to play with Gameboys while out to dinner: “Dinner is family time.” We would tut parents who allowed their vehicles to become children’s home entertainment centers: “Those catatonic children are literally letting the world pass them by.” Our children, whilst fictional, would never be amongst these casualties of modern culture.

Then… they arrived. Our beautiful, magical, relentless, exhausting, non-fictional children. That shut us up for good.

We now know that in the never-ending process of actual parenting, choices are not so black and white. Since I am no longer allowed to have uninterrupted conversation with my mate, DVD-infused car rides have become our long walks on the beach. Spongebob and Scooby allow us time to catch up with each other. And, bless the iphone and its myriad apps, for without it we might not ever complete a full dinner out. 

Then there’s Barbie. She’s the one leftover from my pre-actual parenting days that I was determined not to give into.

… Read the full article here.