Basically, we’re all awesome.
No, really. I mean that. I want you to let that sink in. Whether you’re newly pregnant, or almost ready to pop and make the metamorphosis into a mother or if you’re already in the middle of it all- up to your knees in laundry and baby poop and kisses and tears- you’re doing an awesome job.
Let’s face it. We are all imperfect humans, with our flaws and our insecurities and our quirks. We are masters and amateurs all in one day. We are always learning, changing, growing. We know nothing and everything all at once- and that’s exactly how it’s supposed to be.
I wish I could look every single parent or parent-to-be square in the eyes and tell them, “You’re enough. You’re good enough just the way you are. You are going to be great. You are great. Stop blaming yourself, stop judging yourself and just accept that things are the way they are, and you’re doing great.”
Sitting in a room full of blossoming bellies the other night at my Pregnancy Discussion Group, and the topic of parenting and routines came up. We were discussing how frustrating it can be for new parents, but especially for new mothers since they usually take on the brunt of the parenting in the early months. Setting baby up on a schedule or trying to work out a routine can sometimes be so futile and difficult that we think somehow we are failing. As if babies should know that it’s time for their “activity” and that they should be sleeping- every 3 hours, in their crib, without a parent nearby. Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn’t. It has much less to do with the abilities of the parent than it does the temperament of the baby. But, comparing ourselves to other parents and worse, comparing our babies to other babies does nothing but make us crazy. It distracts us from what we need to be doing- which is focusing on keeping our baby happy and keeping ourselves happy and the real magic is having both of those things occur in the same day, better yet at the same time!
Repeat after me: I’m Awesome. You’re Awesome. She’s Awesome. I Rock at Parenting. I am a Mothering Genius. We Are All Awesome.
Now tell me, on a scale of 1-10 how awesome are you?
