and again, you guys have come through with great words, advice, & funny stuff for me. thank you!!
yes, thankfully my husband is pretty darn good with the boys. he's given them a great role model that had been sorely lacking. he's a self-made man who never got a thing from his parents his entire life & still doesn't. he's shown them what hard work can do, how being honest can sometimes hurt but it's always best in the end, & that women are to be treasured NOT treated badly. those are HUGE pieces of the parenting puzzle that their 'father' is literally unable to give them. he's really stepped up when i've needed him to & stands to the side when i don't.
the boys & i are very close. i am very careful to not promise them things i cannot deliver because i know how important trust is. i've failed a few times but always try to do my best. i don't hide much from them because i refuse to allow them to be immature, selfish, whiny little brats - so they're not. i'm not perfect though & at times find myself being harder on them than necessary - again a time when i've failed.
all i can say is raising kids is NOT easy.