by Andrea Howick             www.whereparentstalk.com

Is that what parenting really boils down to? Repeating yourself over and over until the message sinks in? From potty training to table manners to being a decent human being, every lesson we teach our kids seems to need uber-repetition before they actually learn it.

A former business reporter turned stay-at-home dad recently wrote a column for his former paper with his daily refrain. Check it out here.

He says he prefers to think of it as consitency, rather than nagging. I like that. Staying on message for 18 years times however many kids you have.

But oh, the reward when they learn a lesson! Have you ever seen the look on a mother’s face when the person she’s talking with realizes her 2 1/2 year old is potty trained? “Yes, we just took off the diapers one weekend and did it!” Is it more of a reflection of the parent’s ability than the child’s?

Not long ago, we had a small Sunday night supper to celebrate one of the grandmothers’ birthdays. When my 6-year-old got his piece of cake, he immediately slid it over to his grandma, saying “It’s your birthday, you have the first piece.” !!!!

What’s in your message? We’d love to hear from you.