Never ... Well, Maybe

There are a few things that I never thought I would do once I had children. But, as all parents discover, things change once those little people actually arrive. Nowadays it's mainly about survival, so I must admit that my bar of standards has been lowered significantly.

I was never one of those parents who said their kids wouldn't eat sugar. I knew that was just setting myself up for a big, fat failure. But I definitely thought the sweets would be minimal. Turns out, my kids are dessert fiends. We use sweets as bribery to eat veggies and for good behavior. Oh yes, I am that parent who promises my kid a lollipop if he/she makes it through the store without yelling or disobeying. It's mainly for my sanity and I'll sacrifice a few baby teeth cavities for tear-free trips to Target and a mouthful of broccoli. I'm still not sure what my tactic will be once they lose those baby teeth and gain the teeth that matter.

I always thought my kids would share clothes. They're multiples, they're the same sizes, they share. And Luke gets all the hand-me-downs (poor kid). But I never though they'd share (I'm kind of embarrassed to admit this) ... underwear. YES, I ADMIT IT, my children share undergarments! Of course I wash them in between uses, but they are all the same size so there is no way I could tell whose was whose. Some people have suggested different types/colors for different kids but they obviously do not know my children. If I was to assign colors or characters (Peyton gets Cinderella and Adah gets Hello Kitty) they would immediately scream and cry that they wanted the other color/character/brand - "Why can't I wear ____ ??" I am starting to wonder when they will think this is weird and/or gross. I'll have to stop before they start to mention it to their classmates and friends ... they'd be outcasts for life.

I'm not one to let my kids run around naked in public. It's not so much that it makes me uncomfortable as I'm worried that it might make someone else uncomfortable. I'm usually worried about bothering/annoying others, so I never want to be "that mom" who let her nudist colony wanna-be kids run around in the locker room / beach / swimming pool in their birthday suits. My kids don't really run around naked unless we're having a quick change somewhere like in the locker room before swimming. We even usually try and go into a private place so that all of the older women showering and getting ready don't have to watch naked children while they are partially naked themselves. However, I must admit that I do make one nakedness exception: the portable potty we have in our van. I have quickly learned that you never go anywhere with preschoolers without a bathroom within a one minute radius. It has saved us many times. I do not hesitate to whip that baby out onto the asphalt and have my kid drop trou right there in the parking lot. I don't care who sees his butt as long as it means I'm not cleaning poop out of a pair of Spiderman underpants. Nakedness be damned, the red potty wins every time.

What about you? Anything you let your kids do that you swore they would never do? Please let me know that I'm not the only one who's had to lower my expectations!