At least that’s how the saying goes.  But it’s not surefire advice.

A lot of my parenting comes from “act like you know…” but there have been times when the kids see right through it.

When Liz and I were in Poland adopting our kids the only Polish we knew how to speak were the “helpful parenting terms” that the translator had scribbled phonetically onto one sheet of notebook paper.  When we wanted to speak something to the kids that they would understand we needed to have that notebook in hand.

One afternoon, we were trying to communicate with the kidsters but it was clear that they couldn’t understand us and we had no clue what they were saying.  CC stomped away from the conversation, grabbed the notebook from the other side of the room, and brought it back to us.  It was classic.

We have come a long way together as a family.

This week was the 2-year anniversary of Liz and I traveling to Poland and beginning the process of bringing the kidsters home.

Here are Ten things that we have learned and “actually know” about parenting:

10.  We know when someone really has to go to the bathroom or not.
9.  Date night for Mom and Dad is crucial.
8.  Start yelling the phrase, “It’s time to eat” about ten minutes before it’s time to eat.
7.  Routine & structure keep everyone sane.
6.  Spontaneity keeps things fun.
5.  Knowing when to wield the power of the band-aid.
4.  Quiet time is for everybody.
3.  Family reading time is all-inclusive fun.
2.  Grandparents really are grand.
1.  Eating supper together will never be overrated.

As you can see, we are incredibly blessed an having a ton of fun together as a family.  What an amazing two years!