Lesson #1: You just don't know what kind of mom you will be until you are one.
Confession
(because that's kind-of my specialty): Before I became a mom, I judged
other women for not keeping up with their friends after having a baby,
not controlling their crying baby in public, not having their baby on a
schedule, or simply not being able to keep their kid from being covered
in snot and spit-up all the time. *I promise, I wasn't a total jerk. I was just naive and stupid.
Then, I became one of those moms. Yep, it happens to the best of us.
Instead, my sweet bundle of joy had colic and absolutely NO respect for a schedule - or any of my other plans for that matter. About three weeks in, I realized I could either drive myself CRAZY trying to be the mom I wanted to be thought I was going to be; or, I could just love the baby I was given and become the mama he needed. Thankfully, for all parties involved, I chose the latter (sometimes grudgingly).
Now, nearly fifteen months in, I am NOTHING like the mom I thought would be. I am messier, and tireder, and a lot less organized; but, I am more fun, more relaxed, and a lot less judgemental than I could have been. I like the mom I am so much more than I mom I thought I was going to be.
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| At one week. |
on the weekend I actually met other bloggers IN PERSON and I joked that we should do a series called "I never" and apply it to everything we were NEVER going to do as moms or let our kids do... your line about being the mom Sam needed you to be made me tear (gawd I hope I'm not preggers). I'm SO looking forward to your month of these type of posts - I'm sure I could plagiarize all of them and call them my own. Xo
ReplyDeleteIf I had a dollar for every parenting thing I said I would/wouldn't do, but then did the opposite of, I could go to Starbucks everyday, guilt free for years! You're exactly right: you don't know, until you're doing it. I was certain we wouldn't use sippy cups, until I realized just how messy open-topped cups are, even when keeping the kids at the table to drink. I wasn't going to let them have sweets...then I started writing a cookie cookbook. How could I say no? I wasn't going to depend on tv, now the only way I can get them to nap, is to lay 'em on the couch in front of the tv. FYI: keep Sam in a crib FOREVER! I could go on and on and on, but I don't need to. Your post really says it all!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with this. I was a nanny for years so I had all these ideas of what kind of mom I was going to be. Well, as it turns out, it's a lot harder than I imagined. I'm a little lazier and much more lax than I anticipated. I also get frustrated more than I thought I would. It's a whole new ballgame.
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