MommyTeaching.com

Opposites Working Together

June 02, 2011

My husband and I are truly polar opposites. I am sensitive; he has a hard outer shell. I love hugs; he would rather “high-five”.  I devote my time and thoughts to serious matters like education and bettering society. My husband is happy if we have enough money to afford fishing trips and the buy-in for the World Poker Tour. I want my kids to excel and change the world for the better. My husband is happy if they are not on drugs or pregnant by the time they are 18. I have no idea how and why we got together but here we are...together.

Who has the better perspective from which to raise our children?  I contend we both do…together.  You see by ourselves we are a bit extreme, but together we strike the perfect parenting balance.  (OK, maybe not perfect, but it works for us.)

I used to hate that my husband and I were polar opposites. Now I am coming to see how it benefits my kids and our family as a whole.  Since we disagree regularly, the compromise is usually the perfect thing for everyone.

Good parenting is the functional medley of collaborative efforts.  Parents spend the most time with their children and therefore we are the best evaluators of their needs. However, we cannot think of everything, so we need constructive feedback from others.  Being from a large and very close family, I have no problem getting feedback on anything I ask…and even things I don’t ask.  Below is a phrase that states the way I filter feedback without hurting feelings.  I have never spoken this out loud, but always use it as a way to manage advice:   

We appreciate the advice. We heard it. We evaluated it. We plan to use some of it but we are the best evaluators of how and when to implement your advice because we are the only ones who have all the facts about our life.  Thank You. I appreciate it and I will let you know if I need your help implementing it.

…and if that doesn’t work, I just stop answering my phone for a few days. 

My husband and I are truly polar opposites. Iam sensitive; he has a hard outer shell. I love hugs; he would rather “high-five”.  I devote my time and thoughts to serious matters like education and bettering society. My husband is happy if we have enough money to afford fishing trips and the buy-in for the World Poker Tour. I want my kids to excel and change the world for the better. My husband is happy if they are not on drugs or pregnant by the time they are 18. I have no idea how and why we got together but here we are...together.

Who has the better perspective from which to raise our children?  I contend we both do…together.  You see by ourselves we are a bit extreme, but together we strike the perfect parenting balance.  (OK, maybe not perfect, but it works for u

I used to hate that my husband and I were polar opposites. Now Iam coming to see how it benefits my kids and our family as a whole.  Since we disagree regularly, the compromise is usually the perfect thing for ever

Good parentingis the functional medley collaborative efforts.  Parents spend the most time with their children and therefore we are the best evaluators of their needs. However, we cannot think of everything, so we need constructive feedback from others.  Being from a large and very close family, I have no problem getting feedback on anything I ask…and even things I don’t ask.  Below is a phrase that states the way I filter feedback without hurting feelings.  I have never spoken this out loud, but always use it as a way to manage a

We appreciate the advice. We heard it. We evaluated it. We plan to usesome of it but we are the best evaluators of how and when to implement your advice because we are the only ones who have all the facts about our life.  Thank You. I appreciate it and I will let you know if I need your help implementing it.

…and if that doesn’t work, I just stop answering my phone for a few days.