What Kind Of Parent Are You?

I was scrolling through my reader this morning (as i normally do every morning) and got to reading Jen's blog Rolling Through Looneyville! Now i read her blog all the time but today's post brought up a few thoughts in my mind about different parenting styles and how they work for you/me/us.

In her post she linked to this video of ABC News. In the video they talk about how we try to protect our kids from everything. Helmets, leashes, tracker devices, Glovies, the list goes on and on. Then they ask how much is too much? When are we going over board with safety? How much of the world should we just let our kids experience on their own?

I find myself somewhere in the middle of the OCD parent and the Free Range Parent. You might remember this story from last year about the lady who let her 9 year old son ride the subway by himself in NYC! Now i can not say that i would ever, EVER do that but at the same time i don't think i need to wash my kids hands 50 times a day.

When i had my first child i remember saying to myself and my sister, "My kids will never have sugar!", and "I will never let my kid put dirty things in his mouth or eat off the floor!".

Here i am 4 years later and my kids have eaten dirt, stuck things in their mouths that don't usually go in your mouths, eaten off the floor, used public restrooms and forgot to wash their hands, drank sugar, watched tv, fell and bumped their heads, skinned their knees, and lived to tell the tales.

Now am i suggesting that you don't wash you kids hands when they go into what may be an unsanitary place? Heck no but i also don't suggest having a melt down ever time you kid touches something that you don't deem spotless.

I have always said to each their own when it comes to parenting styles. My own sister is very different about certain things then i am. I personally go by the motto of "God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt"! Apparently there are scientist who agree with me!

My kids are healthy despite all the above mentioned things. Honestly they have never really had more than the common cold. Phabian is 4 and just had his first ear infection after his 4th birthday. So i guess for the most part (and God's blessings) i am not doing all that bad on my parenting.

There are a lot of things i would like to do differently. I would love to eat organic and use green products. I would love to sanitize things more and keep my kids safer from the major things. I do believe the world has changed since i was a kid. There are more germs, drug resistant strains of infections, more deadly flues and diseases. I just don't think it is possible to protect our kids from every single thing out there.

So i do the best i can. I wash their hands at appropriate times. I put a helmet on them when they ride their bikes. I clean a scrape when one happens. I take them to the doctor when it is needed. And i pray that God will keep them safe when i can not.

So i would love some feedback here. What is your parenting style? Do you fall under OCD, Free Range, or somewhere in the middle? Let me know what you think! Write you own post and link to it so i can read. You heard from me now let me know i am not alone lol!

P.S. I promise there is a giveaway to come. It is my sister's company that is just in the beginning stages and i am waiting on her to send me all the pictures and information i need. I cant wait to share with you all her beautiful creations.