But I've been wearing an elastic band on my wrist for a little while now. It's not a fashion statement; it's a reminder. It's a reminder that I am too hard on my seven-year-old.
It's a reminder that I yell too much, that I say "no" too much, that I lose my patience with him too frequently and I scold him too often and I don't cut him enough slack.
It's a reminder that he's only seven years old, that he's still just a little boy, that he's still learning about the world, about himself, about me, and that most of the stuff he does that drives me crazy is the same exact stuff other little boys do.
And it's a reminder that I'm only human myself! That I'm still learning about the world, about myself, about my seven-year-old and his little brother, and about being a good parent.
As someone who is loath to take advice from other parents and who openly disdains the idea of parenting experts, and who writes a parenting blog, it's not just a reminder. It's also an acknowledgment that you don't have to know everything to realize that you don't know everything.
But in the week that I've been wearing the rubber band, just its presence has been enough to keep me mindful of my parenting, and my relationship with my children, and of the kind of dad I want to be.