Good to Know...

From an article on CNN.com:
     "You are more than an incubator and more than a parent. Sometimes that's hard to remember. Be     
     true to YOU. Change is good. Change is a part of life. You will grow. You will change, but don't
     become what you 'think you should be' now that you are a mom."
     http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/08/living/pregnancy-advice-ireport/index.html?hpt=hp_bn11


From Mayo Clinic's Guide to Your Baby's First Year:
     "How you react to your child's temperament is a key part of parenting. Instead of looking at your child as a
     direct reflection of yourself or your parenting skills, try to look at him or her as a separate individual with his or
     her own unique perspective. This slight distance between yourself and your child allows you to look
     objectively at your child's needs and adapt your parenting style to meet those needs. Rather than trying to
     change your child's disposition, you can focus on creating the  best possible environment in which your child
     can naturally thrive." p. 143


Both quotes are meaningful to me...I find myself sometimes stressed, wondering what other people are thinking as they watch me be a parent in public. There are so many books, parenting theories, and philosophies... and yet, they can easily make you feel like there is a right way to be a mom or dad.. which leads to you (me) questioning yourself, "Am I doing this the right way?" And as soon as there's a right way, there's a wrong way. And seeing something as a dichotomy means you have to be on one side or the other....being relatively self-critical, I typically find myself wondering if I really am on the "right-way-of-parenting" side. ......the CNN quote is a reminder to keep yourself in the daily rotation of care-taking...and the Mayo Clinic book's quote reminds me (and all moms, I suspect) that my baby is her own person, and I need to think, "What does she need?" and begin there...and be okay if she is not perfectly happy or quiet immediately following my actions.

Sorry for the rambling...but it's my blog, so I get to ramble. :)