Applying for Parenthood
Motherhood is one of the realest of experiences. You do something in the name of parenting, and you instantly see its effects on your child. Sometimes you are proud of your decisions, and sometimes you think "oh, crap." I have had a few of those in my new stint to parenthood, and it is so crazy to me, that you don't have to "apply" to be a parent. I swear you should.Becoming a parent, should be comparable to getting into Harvard, or any amazing ivy league school. It should take high grades, lots of extracurricular actives, a strong interview, and a standardized test! It shouldn't be so easy that "anyone can do it." I don't know how teenage parents do it.
Emotionally, as a mother, I am all over the place, smiling and laughing, until he cries and then I sometimes start to cry too. I want to teach him the young basics, like sleeping well at night, and have him be able to put himself to sleep, but I am not willing to have him cry for hours, until he gives up. I don't ever want him to give up, and especially not on me.
As an individual, I am a bit of a free spirit. I do things "to my own beat," and roll with the punches. That preface being set, it is hard to be who I am as an individual, while teaching my child the things he needs, all the while maintaining who I am when I'm not on mommy duty. If that makes any sense?
Recently, I have had people pour in their thoughts and advice about sleep, and what is or isn't healthy. It is really sweet that everyone, family and friends, want to weigh in, and help, but I feel so overwhelmed with all the advice, and trying to figure out what my son needs, that I wish I could have gone to a four year institution, graduating with a bachelors in DC studies. That way, I would know all the answers, all the time, and be a bit of an expert on my son. Luckily, life with my son is what will make me an expert, and although I love all the advice and help, I really just need to figure out what he needs and what is best for us, slowly, and with him.
Oh, parenthood, you are a trip.
|| all imagines above are from Pinterest. ||
you said it, lady. i feel the exact same way. we're struggling with sleep over here as well and it's so so hard to know what is right for our little ones. with our older son, we did a variation on co-sleeping with him until he was 18 months old, and we felt okay with sleep training him then because he could understand it, ya know? but with our baby girl, it's so much harder because she's not sleeping AT ALL unless she's being held and we can't hold her 24 hours a day. ugh...
ReplyDeletegood luck to you!
@ Lacey Horst,
DeleteSomething magical happened at the cabin. He sleeps all night! Naps are still hard, but at least I can count on a full nights rest, at least once I have this root canal all squared away, that is! So, what I learned from DC, is that when your babe is ready, she will figure it out, and soon you will be able to set her down for naps. It is all about when they are ready.
Sending you big hugs, and lots of support. It is the hardest when we don't get our sleep. Harder on the babes, then on anyone else, but still oh, so very hard!
xo,