I had the grandest of plans when I set out to be a mother. Everything was perfectly laid out in my mind. My child would always behave, eat all of his meals, never use a pacifier and dammit if he was ever going to watch television. Well, let me tell you how that’s going. Just this past Monday my child smacked the doctor’s glasses off of his face, threw his milk across the room, rummaged through my purse until he found his binky, making me so defeated that when we got home I plopped him in front of Sesame Street because I just couldn’t take it anymore. How’s that for perfect parenting?

Crow was on my menu for awhile after becoming a mom and boy did I eat a lot of it. You see, I thought I had it all figured out. I had been a part time nanny to a wonderful family and believed that parenting would be just as easy. I was also a camp counselor for years, the oldest of eight kids and I read all the books. You know the ones I’m referring to - you’ve read them too. I knew what to expect, my baby would be the happiest in the neighborhood and communication between the two of us was going to be key. How could I fail? I had an arsenal of knowledge. All that was left to do was have the baby. Riiiigggghhhhtttt…......

The person that knows all too well the amount of crow I’ve eaten is my sister in law. She has two children of her own (twins) and they were born five years before I became a parent. Needless to say, she had years of enduring me and my “know it all” comments. She did things I didn’t agree with and I let her know it, under my breath of course. I would say to my husband on the car rides home, “I can’t believe she let them get away with that,” or “our kids are never going to have ice cream if they don’t eat their dinner.” Well, let me pay homage to her now because having twins, one of which had colic, takes super woman strength. Not as much strength, though, as biting your tongue when comments from the peanut gallery come your way. How she did it I’ll never know, but a million thank yous for not rubbing it in too much.

If you are a seasoned parent I know you can relate to what I’m saying and you’re laughing your ass off right now. If you’re a new parent, you want to laugh but you feel guilty doing it. And if you’re not a parent and reading this you are still hell bent that your kid is “never going to do that.” Let me give you permission right now to write the sequel to this blog. You can name it, “I had a kid and she was right” and dedicate it to me.

Did the books help me? Of course. I’ve learned many things through the endless flipping of pages and have been able to implement most of it. My books still have the top corners dog eared for easy referencing. I’m simply trying to point out that things don’t always go according to plan and sometimes you can’t follow a strict set of rules.  My goal is to give parents permission to let go a little. Recognize that it’s okay if you’re child doesn’t eat dinner before going to bed. He won’t starve and he’ll probably eat a big breakfast. Or he won’t. Either way, he’ll be fine. He’ll eat when he’s hungry. So, forgive yourself and stop stressing out. All is well and tomorrow is a new day.

Until next time,
"My Way" Mom

Disclaimer: Information posted is not meant to replace advice given by your doctor. It is for entertainment purposes only.