My perfect child

People talk about Jude's peaceful and relaxed personality like he's a miracle of nature. Unlike pretty much every other child his age he has never once pushed, poked, hit or bit any other child. He never misbehaves or throws temper tantrums. He doesn't grab other childrens' toys and he's always happy to share. He's quite simply a perfect angel.

While it's true that Jude is a wonderful little person with kindness and beauty to match the greatest saint to ever walk the Earth, there's also some good parenting technique thrown into the mix and I'd just like a little credit where credit is due for helping to raise my little prince charming.

A little aside: Many years ago, long before Jude was even a twinkle in my eye, a friend came over to my house with his wife and toddler. Their little boy grabbed a golf ball and started smacking it into my coffee table. Neither parent reacted so I stood up, picked up their son and moved him away from the coffee table. I took the golf ball out of his hand and gave him something less damaging to play with. I didn't say a word or raise my voice to their son, I simply moved and distracted him.

However, my actions mortally offended my friend and particularly his wife who thought my response to their son's destroying my furniture was completely insulting, so they stormed out and I lost a friend.

My point? Yesterday I remembered that event and I realised my response to such a situation hasn't changed over time or by having my own child. When Jude is doing something we don't like, we never yell at him or give him timeout (at this age), but simply give him something else to do. In this way we've never once drawn attention to his bad behaviour. We always shower him with praise and kisses when he does something good. He's so used to being praised that when he does something he is proud of he gives himself a little clap.

The bad behaviour doesn't exist because we don't let it be an issue. Jude doesn't even know when he's done something we don't like, in fact he's forgotten all about it 5 seconds later.

So yes my son is perfect, but Jeremy and I, as his parents, have played a role in that and I'm sick of people thinking we're just lucky to have a good child, we're damn good parents!