Saturday, September 18, 2010

Raising Kids Without My Bad Habits

With cucumbers to pickle and a schedule more full than it should be, I woke early on Saturday to get the cukes washed before the soccer game. First things first, I checked the kids' bedrooms. Robby's door was still closed; Katie's was open, which made me peek in, until my morning brain remembered that she spent the night at her best friend's house. On I went to the kitchen where, by habit, I found myself in front of my coffee pot. I often question my coffee habit, or dare I say caffeine addiction? Will my children some day have a need for a cup of coffee before they do anything else for the day?

The older I get the more I try to free myself from such habits. Somehow I feel like a habit is a weak link. Is that our society sending me that message? Is coffee a problem for me? For centuries people have started their days with coffee or tea. I love everything about coffee. The deep aroma. The lovely dark color. The way the milk swirls into it, turning it a wonderful chocolately brown. I love the bitter taste. Yes, I am goobery about coffee. When I was in college, I could drink it all day long and still fall asleep while studying. I painfully (and I mean it, I had headaches) weaned myself of it before I got pregnant and stayed away from it while I was breastfeeding. I can no longer drink coffee with caffeine after noon because then I don't sleep. Are these signs of a bad habit?

I try to de-emphasize my need for coffee in the morning. My coffee cup is always present and accounted for, but I don't spend a lot of time hugging it or worrying about it. Not like I hug and worry about the kids, anyway. How do we know, as parents, which behaviors are meaningful to the kids and which are not? So much to consider; I better get a cup of joe to help me ponder.

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