Too Many Rules

I've realized today that I've backed myself into a corner many times. I've always felt its important not to make idle promises. I keep my word. But, what happens when you say too much? Well, you have to enforce too much. I end up spending all of my time enforcing and disciplining and none of my time really enjoying being a dad. So, when the game of bumper strollers--a game where my kids run through the house with the toy strollers and their dolly passengers--started turning into full-speed head-on crashing, a voice inside my head--I'm sure it was my wife's--said, "It's not life or death," and I decided to let it go. When it turned violent, I provided a gentle reminder, but did not issue any firm threat. That first decision helped set the tone for the rest of the day. I kept having to remind myself, "Not life or death. Not life or death," but I made it through the day without overloading myself with rules I didn't have to make but now have to enforce. It was actually quite a relief to have gone through the day without committing myself to any disciplining. It was also eye-opening for me to see two things: first, that I didn't always have to issue an "either you A or I'll B" statement when some gentle reminders and persuasion would do just as much good; second, that nothing very serious happened when I let my kids make a mistake. Hopefully gone are the days when I make too many rules.