Are you a yo-yo parent?

Do you find it hard sometimes to decide what kind of a parent to be?

I make a rule, which seems utterly reasonable and sane and has everyones best interests at heart. And in no time, the kids adopt a chinese water torture technique -

drip
     drip
          drip

grinding me down till I start to question myself. The kids try this way and that, looking for a weak spot, waiting for me to crack. Through sheer exhaustion perhaps, I decide the rule was just me being control freaky anyway and I give in so we can leave peacefully. But the peace doesn't last and so I go back to thinking rules weren't such a bad idea after all, and so we go round and round.

I am probably the worst kind of parent in that I cannot make up my mind entirely whether to be a liberal parent or a lean towards sometimes being a bit more disciplinarian. I swing a little and cannot decide which is the kinder way to be. I feel tugged this way and that. I ask myself what it really means to be a kind parent. Which way is the most loving, sane and wise.

Some days it feels absolutely right and sensible and sane to be permissive and liberal. To not co-erce, or force anything, to let the children go with the flow. But if that flow is persistently acting out aggressive, fighting energy? Or playing computer games all day long for the third day running because that is what the children want to do? Or not brushing hair for a week? Or eating third and fourth helpings every day whilst getting a quite tubby? At which point do I step in and say "enough is enough?"

Total liberalism tips over sometimes in our household dynamic from being happy free activity to somewhat chaotic, even destructive energy. I am absolutely torn between the wisdom of letting go of being such a control freak with your kids, of letting them be, of not trying to boss them around and make them do pointless stuff for the sake of being in control, and on the other hand this really is very hard to swallow when say, I feel like they're talking rudely, lacking respect, or playing computer games before they've even had breakfast, gotten dressed or brushed their teeth. I don't want to be a dragon, breathing down their neck every five minutes over petty things. I want to be friends with my kids, because it feels nicer to build trust this way, to be natural with them. When I read some home ed literature about the pointlessness of having boundaries I so want to believe it. But I just cant bring myself to think that this is healthy and good, really.

I was involved in a heated discussion recently on a home-educating forum for parents who are engaged in trying to absolutely bend over backwards so their children get to do what they want all day and try not to co-erce at all. Or say 'no' more than 20 times a year to a child. That kind of thing. And this may be easy to follow with one or two children. But four? How in the heck do you manage a gig like that?

I certainly do not want to be a shouty stressy kind of mama. I want to be a hippy skippy happy Mary Poppins type all day every day, full of energy, good humour and endless patience. I want my children to be happy and full of purposeful - not destructive - activity every day. But some days it feels like we lose our way a bit. Having a stroppy toddler in the home ed mix is much harder than anything I've ever done. And I'm sure it would help if I could just stick to being either liberal or strict. But neither feels entirely right. Some days it feels right to be uber liberal and others it feels absolutely right to be a little more exact about boundaries, limits and rules.

Is this yoyo-parenting a phenomena common to our generation because we have so many more choices now about how to raise our children? Are you a mama or papa who finds it hard to stick to one style of parenting and be consistent with this every single day?

Perhaps I am simply embracing the yin and yang of life in my parenting style...

I'd love to hear your thoughts.

What kind of a parent are you?