You know, when I made up this prompt, I thought that my list of "never would I..." would be much longer than it is. In fact, it probably is, but because I have the memory of a snail, I cannot sit here and think of many examples. Really, the point of this whole post is to show that you should "never say never" because you'll end up surprising yourself in the end. Some things? You may in fact never do. Other things? Are little things that really turn out to be not a big deal in the long run.
Because when all is said and done? All that matters is a happy healthy baby.
1. Have my baby out without shoes or socks on. I remember seeing babies in grocery carts with no socks or shoes on, and for whatever reason, I just could-not-believe-it. I would think to myself... they have feet just like us for a reason. Would we come into the store barefoot? Now, this doesn't include babies walking. Just in general babies out in public being held barefoot. I know. Weird thing for me to say I would never do.
2. Co-sleep. For no real reason aside from... "Oh no, you can't possibly sleep with your baby! Haven't you heard all those stories." I just sit here and snicker now thinking about all the co-sleeping that we have done in our lives {and still do}. And so so happily.
3. Breastfeed past 6 months. This is kind of a strange one to me, and I don't recall why I ever had this thought in my head that I would only breastfeed up to 6 months. Obviously this was pre-Elliana, and pre-pregnancy period, but I think I just had this notion that once babies formed teeth and could talk that the world was better off not breastfeeding. Ahem.
4. Lose my patience. I thought I would always be the mom that had it all together at all times and never let the crazy tantrums get to me. You think that way until you have your first episode, and second, and then third. And during one of those few episodes... you're all like... what is going on here! This is not what I expected! Funny. That's exactly what motherhood is all about. Not what you expected at times.
5. Let them watch more than 1 show at a time. I was so adament about this. That was until I was pregnant with G and had the worst morning {you mean, all day} sickness. That's when more than 1 show was a necessity in our household and it was a total life-saver. You know what this taught me? Just go with the flow and let them be kids. We are so uptight as parents sometimes... why? Because we want to make perfect flawless children? Pshhhh...
6. Let my child go a night without a bath. How dare a mom not bathe her child everyday. Ha. Although we can probably count on our hands the number of times that we have missed bath times, I have to say that each and every one of those misses were well justified. And if they weren't? SO WHAT. Right? I know that there have been times that I didn't get a bath/shower in a day. Somehow, I survived as well. A sleeping toddler exhausted from the day's activities? May not want to hop right into a bath. And that's quite alright.
7. Allow my child to be just in undies outside: Ever. However? If she's inside and her papa comes home and she wants to run to get him? In a diaper? In underwear? Go for it. It's amazing that I ever thought that that was a big deal... and it's not like she plays outside in underwear... she's just running out there to wrap her arms around her favorite man.
8. Go out in public with a shirt stained kid
This is a funny one to me. I judged SO bad back in the day when I would see a kid that had a stain on their shirt. If they looked "dirty" at all, I assumed that the mother just didn't take care of them properly. I laugh at this now. Now that I am a mother myself. Knowing that you can leave the house perfectly clean, and in between the drive from home to work, who knows what could happen. And even if you had to leave the house in a rush after lunch? A stain on the short? Pshhh...the least of your worries. Missing hairbow? Hair out of wack? Yup. Been there, done that.
It's funny to me. Looking at this list. Realizing that the majority of these "nevers" have to do with "public image" and the fear of what others think. After becoming a mother, I learned a lot of things. Two of those things being... 1} Never say never. And 2} Just let those kids be kids. Dirty, non-showered, in undies, barefoot kids.
Because at the end of the day... where is the harm in being a kid.
Next Week: What Being A Mom Looks Like
For the complete list of topics: Here
Hello! I'm a new follower! I love this post! I feel the same way... It's easy to say "I won't ever do that..." when you're childless, but it's so different once you have a baby or 2. Especially after your 2nd baby, you let a lot of things go.
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
Stopped by and said "hi" to all these lovely ladies who've entered so far! Everyone's posts are great! Look forward to the rest of the journey!
ReplyDeleteNumber 4. Yes yes yes!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't remember saying a lot of things, but a few of my surprises are on this list. Like how much I let my baby be naked... gosh. She runs around outside naked, and I don't even care half the time lol
ReplyDelete