All of the things I said I wouldn't do as a parent, an evolving list...
1. Let my child slept in my bed. Yep she is there right now, I am looking at her right now, sleeping in my bed. I don't know what I thought it would be like to put a baby, now toddler to sleep. I think I thought I was going to kiss her on the forehead, tell her "nite nite," toss her in the crib, and close the door. Yah, that doesn't happen. She sleeps through the night and doesn't cry when she is in our bed. Sold.
2. Nurse a child that can ask for it. I wrote many a blog about nursing. We had a hard start. Ruby has a lot of teeth, she is 16+ months old and we are still at it. She nurses once a day now, at night. Soon we will be done. "Soon" is relative.
3. Let my child cry on the plane. Ruby screamed. Really really loud. I didn't necessarily "let" her cry, but I couldn't stop her either. I tried. But honestly, I can say that the dirty looks from strangers didn't bother me that much. In other words, bite me.
4. Have the kid with the snotty nose. Unless I follow her around with a tissue 24/7, it is impossible to stay on top of the snot. It is just not possible.
I don't believe in parenting techniques or parenting philosophies. Following anyone's advice to the letter just doesn't work. Every kid and every parent is different and nothing is the same day to day. You can go into the world of parenting with all of the ideas you want, but you will just drive yourself nuts trying to live up to some doctor-from-a-book's expectation. Dr. Sears, Dr. Spock, and Dr. Whoever isn't helping me when the diaper explodes and it is 2AM. Even saying that "following your instincts" is your philosophy is a bunch of bunk. Sometimes your instincts are wrong, and on 2 hours of consecutive sleep, you can bet that your instincts suck. Derek's father said to us, "you can't figure anymore." He was right.
Derek and I have taken a "by any means necessary" approach to parenting. We got a toolbox worth of tricks, we have a little patience (Derek more than me), and we have the basic goal of keeping Ruby alive. That is about it. My list of things I never thought I would do will grow and grow and grow. I have learned to be okay with that, and I think that helps me get back to being a healthy and functioning adult and not a child crazed loon.
I just love when I hear someone without a kid talk about, "well I wouldn't" or "I will never." I roll my eyes and say, "good luck with that."
1. Let my child slept in my bed. Yep she is there right now, I am looking at her right now, sleeping in my bed. I don't know what I thought it would be like to put a baby, now toddler to sleep. I think I thought I was going to kiss her on the forehead, tell her "nite nite," toss her in the crib, and close the door. Yah, that doesn't happen. She sleeps through the night and doesn't cry when she is in our bed. Sold.
2. Nurse a child that can ask for it. I wrote many a blog about nursing. We had a hard start. Ruby has a lot of teeth, she is 16+ months old and we are still at it. She nurses once a day now, at night. Soon we will be done. "Soon" is relative.
3. Let my child cry on the plane. Ruby screamed. Really really loud. I didn't necessarily "let" her cry, but I couldn't stop her either. I tried. But honestly, I can say that the dirty looks from strangers didn't bother me that much. In other words, bite me.
4. Have the kid with the snotty nose. Unless I follow her around with a tissue 24/7, it is impossible to stay on top of the snot. It is just not possible.
I don't believe in parenting techniques or parenting philosophies. Following anyone's advice to the letter just doesn't work. Every kid and every parent is different and nothing is the same day to day. You can go into the world of parenting with all of the ideas you want, but you will just drive yourself nuts trying to live up to some doctor-from-a-book's expectation. Dr. Sears, Dr. Spock, and Dr. Whoever isn't helping me when the diaper explodes and it is 2AM. Even saying that "following your instincts" is your philosophy is a bunch of bunk. Sometimes your instincts are wrong, and on 2 hours of consecutive sleep, you can bet that your instincts suck. Derek's father said to us, "you can't figure anymore." He was right.
Derek and I have taken a "by any means necessary" approach to parenting. We got a toolbox worth of tricks, we have a little patience (Derek more than me), and we have the basic goal of keeping Ruby alive. That is about it. My list of things I never thought I would do will grow and grow and grow. I have learned to be okay with that, and I think that helps me get back to being a healthy and functioning adult and not a child crazed loon.
I just love when I hear someone without a kid talk about, "well I wouldn't" or "I will never." I roll my eyes and say, "good luck with that."
posted by Alaina @ 7:31 PM
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