What happens when kids don’t come with an owner’s manual?

Trial of the missing socks.

I think it’s time to gather all of my writer friends and parents who have survived…kids. Is there an owner’s manual for kids that I don’t know about? Sure there are books like What to expect when you’re expecting and What to expect in the toddler years, but I need a different manual.

How about a book or manual called, What to expect when your kids lose their minds? I was at a writer’s networking day, relaxing and enjoying conversations. We were going around the table introducing ourselves when I got the call from my oldest son.

The phone buzzed and Donovan’s picture popped up. I hit ignore with a message. He then texted me. The message read, “Ma, did you say Joshua could have a pair of my new socks?”

I moved my head up and down adjusting the bifocals on my glasses, to make sure I was reading the text correctly. Yep, that’s what the message said, “Ma did you say Joshua could have a pair of my new socks?”

I paused, furrowed my brows and thought, Really? You are texting me about a pair of socks while I’m at my relaxing meeting? I responded with, “No, handle it until I get home.”

In my son’s eyes this situation must have constituted an emergency. I called him an hour later when I was on my way home and the problem had been resolved. I was glad that the boys practiced conflict resolution rather than going after each other (this time…smile).

This sock fiasco has an ironic side; In few weeks the socks will end up in a heap of clean clothes that no one wants to sort or put away.

When kids don’t come with an owner’s manual, you write it as you go and grow. Sprinkle it with your personality, demands (rules) and adopt it as law in your household. It is totally acceptable to make amendments to your manual.

What situations would you include in your owner’s manual on raising kids?