After this weekend's situation of taking away all of my kids' toys, I continually thought, "Why can't my kids be normal?" I was frustrated with their behavior. Then, I thought, "Perhaps, I'm not a normal parent." There must be something obviously wrong with me that my children and I always seem to be at odds. If you've known me for any length of time, you'll know my thoughts about normal are extensive and diverse. My studies in cultural and gender communications have solidified my thoughts and opinions that normal is a socially-defined word. It's fluid, ever-changing and, quite frankly, ambiguous. So, why on earth am I trying to use this term to describe my children and my parenting? Why am I striving for normal ? Then, I realized something BIG...often times, I look at - and describe - normal as being perfect when used in reference to my own children or my parenting. I try to force the concept that my children shouldn't ...
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