I remember a long LONG time ago, when I first became a parent, there were a lot of days that I felt like I wasn’t doing enough. I wasn’t doing word flash cards, or baby sign language, or making all of my kid’s own clothing, or taking her to play dates, or doing enough daily structured exercise. WOW! What a waste of energy.
You know what I worry about today?
Very little.
Why worry? It doesn’t fix or even improve anything and it is EXHAUSTING.
Am I worried about being a good parent anymore? HECK NO! I am an awesome parent. Only awesome parents can keep their act together through all of this. So screw you Suzy Bakes-A-Lot and Sarah Hand-make-all-my-cards. You have to do all of that stuff to prove that you are doing enough and that you are a good parent to other parents because, unlike me, you haven’t had an opportunity to really have your parenting tested.
…also, just kidding about the screw you part. I really like your cute cards and cupcakes…
Just to add my part, the biggest thing that people don't realize that our 10 out of 10 for stress, anxiety, etc. is so dramatically different now than it was before our little man-cub came along. "Don't sweat the small stuff." When you have to look at the possibility of your son being too sick to have the surgery he needs to live, what really can have any hold on you after that? Everything is small stuff from that moment on. Yes, it sucks that we are still here, can't play with, hold, and tell Little Bird we love her as we put her in bed for the night. By all that is good in the world, it sucks something fierce. But our son is still here. He is fighting every day against a heart that beats with a little less ability than ours, lungs that are being bombarded by not having the proteins that help keep his fluids flowing nicely, and coming off of medications that adults spend years trying to get out of their systems. All of this while far away from home, being prodded by nurses, doctors, techs, respiratory therapists, and whoever else that needs to do something to him. As parents, we are supposed to be stronger than our children. So we make ourselves stronger every day just so we can keep up with a little guy that hasn't even been out of the womb for more than three months.
ReplyDeleteWe will not be outdone by an infant.
AMEN! That's why I posted the article on my fb page yesterday. There will always be something that you can judge yourself for, but it simply does not matter. What matters is that you love your child and do right by them (whatever that is for you :)).
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