Famous Last Words: When Parents Do All the Things They Swore They Never Would

For as long as I can remember, I have detested binkies when used by older babies and kids. I always swore up and down that my children would never be reduced to sucking on a piece of plastic to make them happy. Fast-forward to the second night Nicholas was home from the hospital. Nothing, and I mean NOTHING was quieting him down. At my wits end, I reached for a pacifier that a wise friend had given me at a baby shower. He latched onto that thing like Lindsay Lohan to a publicity stunt and never looked back. Three years later, I finally managed to get him to say bye-bye to his beloved.

We all have parenting pet peeves and opinions that we vow, whether silently or out loud, never to break. Here are some famous last words from parents who've since come to know better:

Read More: 40 Sayings from Your Parents That You Swore You'd Never Use (But Do!)

I swore I'd never…

"Stick my kid in front of the T.V. to get things done. I do it all the time now. Bad mommy….bad, bad mommy."

"Criticize other parents. Don't judge me for judging."

"Let the baby sleep in my bed. Sometimes I'm just Too. Tired. To. Deal."

"Give snacks in the minivan. Actually, wait, that's two things I swore I wouldn't do -- snacks in the car and purchase a minivan. Both are necessities now!"

"Laugh at farts."

"Let my kid watch (insert annoying show here)." (Barney, Baby Einstein and The Wiggles were the most popular mentions, for the record.)

"I would NEVER (extra haughtiness) allow my child to misbehave in the supermarket."

"I swore that I wouldn't want to spend every second with my daughter. I figured being a working mom would be easier than staying home, and I assumed I would eagerly go running back to the office for an escape from diapers and the daily kiddie rigmarole. But I cannot get enough of my little honey-cutie-pie-muffin-pants. I can't help myself."

"I wasn't going to come running every time he cried as a baby. Ha."

"I'm quite sure I swore I'd never have character diapers/ugly plastic toys all over the living room, or a kid throwing a tantrum in public -- and guess what? Now I have all of that. Actually, I was pretty sure I'd never have kids."

"I swore I wouldn't over-program my kids, that I wouldn't have them doing a different activity every afternoon, because it was unnecessary and pretentious. And now I have two very over-programmed kids, with a different activity every afternoon."

"Before I had a child, I swore up and down that no matter how overwhelmed I'd become as a mother, I would never neglect my marriage. Whoops."

"I said I wasn't going to do all the things my parents made me do like bathe regularly, make my bed, eat all of my veggies, etc. I was going to be a cool Mom. The only thing I stuck to was the making the bed part. My daughter doesn't have to make her bed if she doesn't want to."

When it comes right down to it, never say never, unless you want your words to come right back and bite you right in the binky. Parenting is full of surprises and your kids are sure to inspire you to do or say things you never thought possible….over and over and over again.

What did you claim you'd never do as a new mommy or daddy? Which resolutions did you stick to, and which made you eat your words?

This post was written by Alia Hoyt. Photo: barockschloss/Creative Commons

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