DO I CLASS MYSELF AS A SUPERMUM?
No I don’t as I am human and don’t mind showing the mistakes I have made. Parenting can be plane sailing for some, but it has never been like that for me, I have struggled and I know I am not on my own on that.
I always knew as a kid I wanted to have children of my own one day and you think it is something that comes naturally to you. Let me tell you if you are thinking of having a family and no I am not a spoiler or a mum who likes to share horror stories, just my own struggles, is that it didn’t at all. I found breastfeeding I didn’t have enough hands to get it right, I was all finger and thumbs when I first held my son Henry when he was in the special care unit, and held onto him like he was like a bomb that if I dropped him he would explode and being so tiny, I held on as you are frightened at first of dropping them, and changing nappies, not just me but every parent that first changed one, on their child put the nappy on the wrong way round.
Can it become easier?
At first I wanted to throttle those who said it did, but now that my son is almost seven, which will be in two days time, yes it does and I am more relaxed now than when I was at the beginning. Parenting is a new skill for everyone and as much as your child is adjusting to being out in the world, so are you. There is no child that is the same, some sleep. My son however and I am not gloating, as he still wakes up early still, can sleep through a tornedo and still stay a sleep.
Can a child’s sleep pattern change?
Yes, Henry slept from when he was born through the night, but became less when he began teething, which wasn’t long after he was born. They can make themselves go to sleep, but doing story time or letting them listen to gentle soft music can help too, and I would say with bedtime, definitely establish a bedtime routine.
What about food and meals?
Well, where do I begin, I thought I was being Supermum putting together home made baby food, until some evenings my son refused to eat any of it, and then feeling disheartened, and wanted to say to him “Please give some sympathy it took me ages to make that”, but do babies and kids care? Did I when I was a kid who was the fussiest child in the world when it came to food and dinner? NO.
So if your child turns their nose up, don’t feel that you let the side down, kids make choices from early on in their development and always have a back up. Left over fruit, veg and meat can be pre-cooked and warmed up, and have a few already made baby food pouches or jars to hand, just in case.
I do love being a mum and there are parts I do enjoy, like cuddles, watching some TV together, playing connect 4 not letting my competitive side show, even when he does cheat and when we dance to music.
Meal times have got better and I like having a family meal at least once or twice a week if not everyday, and having chill out time for yourself too.
So stay safe and well, and I will blog again soon.
Many thanks for reading,
Carrie X
The parenting adventures 