The parent I am is different from the parent I thought I would be, is this normal?
When I was pregnant I began developing the idea of how I would raise my child, well I already had an idea so really I began perfecting and fine tuning my parenting style. I’d imagine how I would behave, set up, or solve problems for my baby, like starting solids or sleeping arrangements. I thought that I would co-sleep with Cameron for at least a year; I even got my husband on board. Then, I was presented with the situation and Cameron didn’t like it! So we compromised and he slept in his crib in our room. But now here I am again presented with a situation of wanting Cameron to sleep through the night, and having him in our room is a hindrance to that. (Can you believe that I actually thought that Cameron would just magically learn to sleep through the night on his own? Why you ask? Because when I was pregnant I imagined it so! How foolish was I.) So any way, what did I do, I gave Cameron his own room. It turns out it was a great move for the whole family. My husband and I are happier with the return of OUR bedroom where we don’t have to whisper or tiptoe around the room, and I like that Cameron has his own space to grow into. I am really surprised how happy I was to get Cameron into his own room.
But now here I am thinking of all the ways I wanted to do things and it’s so different from the perfect little family image I had imagined from before he was born. I realize I can’t plan how I want our family to grow and behave and we will just grow together and figure it out as we go. We are still a perfect little family; just my parenting image will need to adjust as the situation presents its self.
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I can so related Erin! I also had my ideas about parenting- I wanted Reagan to be in her crib from day one. I wanted her to adapt to my lifestyle instead of the other way around. But when she was born, I quickly learned that I couldn't control everything-- something I was always used to doing. But looking back, she has taught me so much and has made me a better person and a WAY better parent. I got the child I was supposed to have =) You're so right in that we can't plan our families development-- but instead grow together as a team.. thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree! Although my situation is reversed: I was worried my whole pre-baby life would be over and instead we have this little adaptable baby who loves going out to parties, restaurants, dinners, everything! Of course, we still do things on his schedule but we grow together and learn from each other. What a wonderful surprise, even though it is different from what I was expecting.
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