S/o "I'll Nevers": I WILL...

jbBeans

The "I'll nevers" made me think of the positive side-things that I really want to do but I realize may be diffficult to always do. So FTM's, what are your "I wills" and 2+TMs, what were your "I wills" and how'd that go?

For me:

I will always make dinner a sit-down meal. (no TV, homemade, etc. my mom did it and I'm really going to try to make this one happen)

I will bring my children to Church weekly.

I will make Halloween costumes! 

(and some baby-related ones--CDing, exclusive BFing, etc) 

gapgirl972001

we always eat as a family....sometimes it is tough, since I have to leave for work at 5pm , so when I work at night we eat at 4:30 but that is important to us. 

 

Manx4

I don't say "I will or I won't" anymore since becoming a parent.  I say "I'll try, or I'd like to" because I found out quickly some of my "I wills" became unrealistic and my "I wont's" turned out to be sanity savers. 

It's good to have goals and try but I feel by giving anything a definite "will or won't" is only setting you up to feel horrible when/if it doesn't work out.  I beat myself up for months after giving up BFing.  

If I had gone in with the mindset "I'll try but if I can't, he won't starve" I might have saved myself some guilt trips.  

 

mrsjenni

Just like the "I will never" post, my answer is the same for the "I will's..."  

I will not make a list of I will's, because the truth is?  Everything changes.  Situations change daily.  And I don't want to put that much pressure on myself to keep it up.  I'd love to say things like "I will BF for at least 6 months" but if it doesn't work after 2 months or 4 months, then that doesn't make me a bad mom.

My only "I will" is that I will put my whole heart and soul into being a good mother for my children.

That's it. 

ArtificialRed

I will make CDs work for us. Budget-wise, I don't really have a choice.

Megroons

mrs.jenni:

Just like the "I will never" post, my answer is the same for the "I will's..."  

I will not make a list of I will's, because the truth is?  Everything changes.  Situations change daily.  And I don't want to put that much pressure on myself to keep it up.  I'd love to say things like "I will BF for at least 6 months" but if it doesn't work after 2 months or 4 months, then that doesn't make me a bad mom.

My only "I will" is that I will put my whole heart and soul into being a good mother for my children.

That's it. 

Well said!

skyejo

With DD the main things on my "I will" list was that I would nurse for a year, cloth diaper, and make my own baby food. 

Nursing came easy to me (though pumping blows), DH helped a ton with CD which made it manageable, and the Beaba was a lifesaver when it came to making baby food.  I'm planning to do the same thing time around but if something throws a wrench in my plans then I'll improvise.  I don't want to get worked up over something that has another solution.

redneckmomma25

I will...

....take my children to church 

....teach them to say please and thank you

....try my hardest to BF for as long as I can an not give up after a month

....teach them the importance of hard work and earning

....instill in them healthy eating habits

MrsAB1316

I will:

-Teach my son good manners and hospitality

-Teach my son how to have respect for himself. 

-Make sure his pants always cover his butt.  lol

-Make sure he knows every day that no matter what, his father and I love him and support him.

gingerfamily

I will stive to always be the best mom I can be.  That is the one and only promise I can make to my children. 

 

sweetiebird726

I will always do everything in my power to make sure this LO and any other children I have are happy and healthy.

Other than that, for me anything is pretty much fair game!

Bookelly

I will...

Trust my husband with the baby.  Some of my friends won't leave their infants alone with their SOs for even an hour, and it baffles me.  DH is a kind, intelligent human being who is just as capable of caring for a kid as I am, and it would be quite condescending of me to think that he'd be unable to function one-on-one with our child for any length of time.

jocymama

I agree with Manx and Jenni. 

I would add that the only I Wills that I have are I will try to show my children everyday that I love them and I will teach them manners. Outside of that I will try my best and go from there.

AKB090609

Let DH be a dad, he has never cared for or held a child and I do it every day. I will let him make decisions and help him when he asks. I will try to remember that there is more than one right way to do things.

OSUWifey09

I put so much pressure on myself the first time around to be the 'perfect' mom that I nearly had an emotional breakdown over it. Not this time. I will try to breastfeed this time [didn't even make it two weeks with DS #1 before weight issues made us switch] and will make homemade baby food, but those are the only main differences I'd try this time around.

I just want my boys to be healthy, happy and raised in a home where they know they are loved unconditionally.

KarBear

I'm in the go-with-the-flow crowd, but the first time around, I did have some things I was really gung-ho about...I wanted to BF for a year, I wanted to make most of my baby food, and I wanted to have a life outside of babies/children where I got to go out with DH and friend for some fun adult time.  I was able to all of these.

CrazyLife3

Some of the I WILLs stated with a timeframe make me scratch my head. How can you assign a time frame, some what out of the blue to a task? Its like saying, I only want to gain 20 pounds in pregnancy. A certain amount of the sucess of that arbitrary time frame or weigh target is out of your control. Anyhow after three kids I don't have I nevers and I wills anymore. I do attempt to make as much food as I can at home with as little boxes and jars as possible but sometimes cracking open that box of mac and cheese is more heaven than you can imagine!

jbBeans

mrs.jenni:

Just like the "I will never" post, my answer is the same for the "I will's..."  

I will not make a list of I will's, because the truth is?  Everything changes.  Situations change daily.  And I don't want to put that much pressure on myself to keep it up.  I'd love to say things like "I will BF for at least 6 months" but if it doesn't work after 2 months or 4 months, then that doesn't make me a bad mom.

My only "I will" is that I will put my whole heart and soul into being a good mother for my children.

That's it. 

Yeah, I overall agree with this and am trying to keep this mindset. Both my will and won't lists are more of goals or guidelines--I think it's useful to have a general idea of things I'd like to do for my kids but ultimately I know that sometimes what's best is not what you had in mind!  

lauriedupuis

jbBeans:

mrs.jenni:

Just like the "I will never" post, my answer is the same for the "I will's..."  

I will not make a list of I will's, because the truth is?  Everything changes.  Situations change daily.  And I don't want to put that much pressure on myself to keep it up.  I'd love to say things like "I will BF for at least 6 months" but if it doesn't work after 2 months or 4 months, then that doesn't make me a bad mom.

My only "I will" is that I will put my whole heart and soul into being a good mother for my children.

That's it. 

Yeah, I overall agree with this and am trying to keep this mindset. Both my will and won't lists are more of goals or guidelines--I think it's useful to have a general idea of things I'd like to do for my kids but ultimately I know that sometimes what's best is not what you had in mind!  

 

I agree with you ladies.  Aside from teaching manners, values, etc. one has be flexible.

I do have to share an 'I Will' from DH though.  Sunday while cooking me dinner (he rarely cooks because he generally sets the kitchen on fire, though he's improving) DH said that he's going to start cooking more so that when baby is here and especially when he's older, they can cook dinner once a week for me so our son learns to show appreciation and little ways to do something nice, not to mention very basic kitchen survival skills!