motherhood, politics, faith & whatnot

a few quiet moments around here since everyone else is napping.

This was a pretty rough week. Andrew had a goopy, runny nose, so he wasn’t fit to go to PMO or to take part in our Wednesday morning babysitting swap. I so hate being a human tissue. Ick and ick.

I had a couple of revelations about parenthood and motherhood and whatnot lately. First, when Daniel was a baby, we used to read parenting books and keep tabs on developmental milestone. We weren’t fanatical about it, but we always knew what was coming next.

After having Andrew and as Daniel aged into toddlerhood and preschoolerhood, we haven’t done as much reading up on the stages, etc. Mostly becuase of lack of time, but the milestone become more complicated and more about behaviors and emotions and less about physical things, like learning to walk, for example.

And having a baby in the house again, it was very gratifying to take care of a baby because I had some level of confidence — I’ve done this before. I know what to expect. With my 2+ year old, things were new and frustrating for him and me.

I don’t know if what I’m saying is making sense or not, but the gist of it is that I need to start spending more time and effort trying to meet Daniel where he is at and not just reacting to him. Part of being a good parent, I think, is being able to help your child through the stages as they grow up, and I feel like I’ve been falling down on the job a little bit with that.

Now, just so you know, I’m not trying to be a super-parent or too hard on myself. I just want to do better for him and for myself.

It’s helpful to have friends who have older kids because you get a chance to see what’s coming next and think about how you would handle a particular situation should it come up.

And more reading of parenting books, too.