Parenting and tolerance levels

I find that the older I get the more tolerant I get. My parents only raised me part of the time. I spent most years with aunts and grandparents. I raised 4 kids and I think that at least part of the time I was tolerant. I look back and wish I had been more tolerant especially when they were little.

Although I don't have kids of my own I have been a foster parent to over 30 kids, helped raise my two younger brothers and have helped with my Niece and Nephew. I find that I'm not as strict as my Dad but not as lenient as my Mom. I lay down rules and expect them to be followed, if there not then there's punishments and I stick to the punishments unlike some who don't. **AT PEACE WITHIN** ~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~

I know I'm a lot less tolerant than my parents were but I was the last of five and the other four see things differently. I find that I have less patience than I used to when my own children were small but sometimes I think my daughters are not tolerant enough and at other times they are too tolerant. I'm happy with the way my girls turned out and so far my grandsons are lovely so it doesn't matter about the rights and wrongs as long as the parenting results in nice people.

My dad had the military attitude of raising us. It was like we lived with a drill sargent. He was not tolerant of anything and had the belief the children were supposed to be quite at all times. As a result I grew up being very shy and reclusive. Now with my kids there are times that I find that I am being to strict and have to stop myself. And we encourage them to express themselves and make friend because I do not want them to be socially inempt like I am.

Like you I feel more like I did develop a different parenting style. I do not feel I am less tolerant than they were, but I do have different levels of importance. Some things that were on the top of the list for them, are not for that important for me and vice-versa. I tend to choose my battles with my kids. Some things seem very important at first but after I think about them, they are only things were we can compromise. For example I didn't make it a big deal that my daughter wanted a piercing - providing it wasn't in the mouth - or that she told me that she wanted to color her hair pink. I am not extremely fond of either, but it didn't seem to me that important to start a battle for just that - come to think of it, ever since I agreed, she kind of forgot that she wanted to do it so badly :)

When I had my kids I swore I would not the mistakes my parents did. And I didn't. Instead I made a whole bunch new mistakes.

Ooh, good question. I am at the grandmother stage now. I wonder what my kids would say. I know I was more tolerant than my mom. Not sure about Dad. He kind of took a back seat to her. I also know that she was more tolerant than her parents had been. Because of various things, I did not really know my Dad's parents well. I am going to go see him soon, and I will ask him about his childhood. He has told me about some of the stunts he pulled, and his parents did let him live. I am probably less tolerant now, as I am aging. I put up with more noise, and silliness than my mom did. I also had more money for entertainment and I think that made a difference. I know that I do not know how much fun I was, though. I know I disciplined in different ways. Over the years both of my parents have complimented me on my parenting skills, and also on how well we, as siblings all got along.I liked this question, it made me think.

I am way more tolerant than my parents were. I try to not do/say things that they said or did that had a big negative impact on me. For example, my father would tell me something and it would obviously be incorrect however I could not tell him so or there would be a blow up. He was Dad and he was the boss therefore he was always right. My kids, who are now grown, could tell me anything. I used to joke with my husband, "These kids tell me way more than I really want or need to know!"