Writings by me

I’m recently coming to terms with the fact that I am now in embarrassing parent territory. It’s taken me 8 years, (some might say that’s quite good – some of my mum-friends have been there a while…). It’s an eye-opener for sure and I’m learning as I go along, though once they twig on that you’re embarrassing, the embarrassment traps are numerous and if you’re not careful, you might find yourself burrowing deep into an embarrassment rabbit hole that there is no escape from.

A few things to note, if you’re relating to this…

1, Don’t fall down the ‘I’m not embarrassing’ trap of indignancy. You are, it’s best that you just deal with it. The more I try to curb my embarrassing ways, the worse it seems to become.

2. Don’t call them baby/lovey/*enter term of endearment here* on the school playground. Get a kiss before anyone can see you or better still, forego the bye-bye kiss and go drown your sorrows in a massive bacon sarnie and coffee from your local bakery.

3.  Under no circumstances should you remind them they need to brush their hair before school photos/wear a coat or ask them to do anything that suggests they should make any effort with their appearance or take care of themselves, in front of their friends.

4. Don’t fall into the ‘we’re only at home/in the car/around no-one they know,” false sense of security; the opportunities to embarrass your child exist anywhere and everywhere, around anyone and everyone…(try not to let that power go to your head.)

5. Do negotiate; sure they find the Frozen soundtrack embarrassing and would die before admitting they used to love it (😭) but if you really must listen to it full blast in the car, agree a deal; currently I’m allowed to play the Frozen soundtrack to my heart’s content in certain conditions i.e. in the car with the windows up with no friends around. (I’ll take this – they haven’t banned any other music yet – watch this space).

This is what I’ve learned so far and I suspect I am on the edge of the precipice. Any tips you have on how to minimise the damage of embarrassing your kids would be most appreciated.