Ridiculous
Do I really need to buy a video on how to bathe a baby? Do I really need to pay good money for an article about whether it is safe for me to sleep on my back during pregnancy? Do I really need the ten thousand other things that the baby industry is trying to sell me?
I think not.
Or am I just being the world’s worst mother before I’m even a mother?
Actually, I really have to get. . . not irritated, that’s too severe of a word. . . annoyed when I see wonderful mothers post about why they are the world’s worst mother. Usually they’ve made a simple mistake that could happen to anyone, or they’ve finally had enough and handed off the baby to the father and then feel guilty about it. I hope that being a teacher and seeing true candidates for “world’s worst mother” will help me keep things in perspective. I’m not going to leave my six year old alone at home while I go out and score drugs and sex. I’m not going to beat my kid, neglect my kid, starve my kid, or suffocate my kid. I am so relaxed that I probably won’t be up for any “best mother” awards, but I certainly won’t be anywhere near the “worst” category either.
Of course once the baby comes and I accidentally drop him on his head I’ll probably forget all about the horrible mother’s that have come before and completely spaz out.
I already about being the world’s worst wife. Mike called last night to report he has a nasty cold. My immediate thoughts: “I’m a horrible wife! I knew I had a cold, so I should have made sure he had Nyquil, Dayquil, Sudafed, Puffs Plus, Tylenol, Zicam. . . . !!!” Of course, he probably wouldn’t have taken any of those medicines if I did pack them into his bag, but at least he would have had the option. And the Puffs Plus? I KNOW he would have appreciated those.
Of all the missing items in Sweden, the tissue with lotion embedded in it was the one thing that I missed the most and was the one thing that really made me wonder what kind of third world country I was living in (joke, joke! sort of!). I could replace or substitute brown sugar, chocolate chips, Mexican food, and ziplock bags, but when you have a cold there is simply NOTHING that can take the place of Puffs Plus for continued comfort. When I’m in the throes of a cold, I would easily give up every other piece of modern technology–internet, tv, phone, electricity–if it meant I could have my Puffs Plus.
If I can’t handle a raw, red nose how am I going to handle child birth?
June 20th, 2005 at 8:51 am
Drugs. If you emerge with a baby at the end, you have succeeded in child birth.
There are lots of people (and companies!) that want to weigh in with opinions about how to be pregnant, give birth, take care of a newborn, etc. But you have to find your own way. As my pediatrician said, “It’s hard to break a baby.” Besides, my mother dropped me on my head and I think I still came out ok : )
June 20th, 2005 at 7:18 pm
Don’t forget you ARE the world’s best mother to YOUR child. =)
June 21st, 2005 at 12:20 am
This post made me chuckle. As so many of yours do. And, while not a parent myself, I’ve worked with children and young people, and from my observations a relaxed attitude to life is the single best attribute any parent can have.