It Takes All Kinds

This weekend my two youngest and I stayed with a childhood friend of mine for the Thanksgiving holiday.  It was interesting to watch her parenting style and overall mothering/spouse personality.  My friend is a very laid back yet very loving mother.  Her children learn early how to fend for themselves since there are 4 of them.  The youngest, who is only 1 1/2, can already climb up into her bar stool chair to eat her meal.  I was amazed to watch how the kids helped each other like little miniature parents-in-training.  My friend sows her children's clothes and gives them farm fresh milk and eggs from the neighboring farms.  But her parenting style is different from mine which I consider laid back.  I realized that I am a laid-back-planner mom.  My best friend is an organized-delegating mom.  She likes to do lots of research on parenting strategies and keeps to a somewhat rigid sleep schedule for her kids.  There are many styles but none is better or worse than the other.  The staples of love and support are necessities, making sure they have clothing, shelter, and food.  But the rest is up to your interpretation.  I like to get some advice from "experts" but there really is no owner's manual that comes with our children.  Whether laid back or organized, love them real good.