New moms take joy in every new moment of their babies' lives. From the first coo to the first steps, every accomplishment is AMAZING! And it is every new mom's right (not really, but you know what I mean) to take personal credit for what their babies can do! First-time moms spend every available moment they have teaching, nurturing, and encouraging their little babes to do the next 'thing,' achieve the next milestone. I think this is why firstborns are stereotypically 'ahead' of the averages. Moms, by sheer determination to see their children achieve, who have nothing else vying for their attentions, gently 'push' their little ones along. When you have the second, third, fourth, etc., guess what happens?!? You have less time to spend with that newborn!! I think that's when you learn to relax, enjoy, and savor each moment. Don't get me wrong here- I'm at baby number six, and I still think every accomplishment is AMAZING! If you're a mom of more than one, and those milestones are no big deal, I think you've lost the wonder of what it is to be a mom. Find it again!!!
All this to say, there is one fault that nearly every new mom has. In fact, a lot of moms share this same fault (I did...ahem...do?). It's the "I would never..." fault.
"I would never give my child candy for lunch."
"I would never lose my temper."
"I would never allow my child to leave the house wearing dress-up clothes."
And on and on they go...
I'm learning that the Bible gives clear instructions on raising children in the areas that have eternal importance. We are to raise them to know the Lord, to discipline the wayward child, to train them up in the way they should go (BTW, every child is different, so you must seek wisdom in this area), to provoke them to love and good works and not to anger...
Here are parenting issues NOT addressed in the Bible (aside from always doing what is best for your child- again, prayer is key in each of these areas):
Co-sleeping/family bed vs. cribs
Bottle feeding vs. breastfeeding- breastfeeding is best, of course, but still not a Biblical issue
Cloth vs. disposable diapers
Natural birth vs. hospital/medical interventions
The appropriate age to potty-train
And on and on they go...
Again, some of these choices are definitely preferred over the others, however there's no 'sin' involved in these issues. New mom's are notorious for the "I would never..." fault! Didn't we all have it all figured out when we had that first baby?! We read the books, the experts, and we knew what was, clearly, the only real choice!! But, guess what?! Life, and reality, happens! You find that what you thought was a big deal, really isn't. You find out that this battle isn't worth the effort. You find out that what worked for your genius firstborn, your second child couldn't care less about!
Here's my "I would never..." confession of the day:
"I would never sit a potty seat in front of the television in the living room!"
Seriously, that's gross!! I've always thought that was gross, and I still do!! However, the proof of my hypocrisy is right there...
I'm still not sure the twins are ready to potty train, but we're giving it a shot. They HATE the toilet and have screamed every time I've ever tried to put them on it. I bought these little potties several months ago ($4 at IKEA), and just brought them out today. Minion 1 (in orange) and Minion 2 (in brown) sat in the bathroom for while with the faucet running and full cups of water, but...nothing. However, since they were still willing to sit, I decided to try this out. Normally, the TV is not out in the living room, but we brought it out to watch a game last weekend, and it's still sitting there, so I've allowed the kids to watch more shows than usual.
The above blank and mindless stares are exactly why I don't like them to watch TV...
We'll see if my hypocrisy pays off!!
You may find it gross but it worked for Tate! I put his potty chair out in the family room and he would sit and watch cartoons while using it. This was during the stage of "I will go if I feel like it." So, I decided to work at his level. He did great! He would "go" and get so excited that he was a big boy. I didn't move it to the bathroom until he was in "almost" accident free stage.
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