Last weekend in the checkout line at Target, an elderly woman tapped me on the shoulder and told me how great of a mother I was. I was FLABBERGASTED! I looked at her like she was nuts! "I'm sorry? I said. You have NO idea, how much that means to me!" Truly...coming from an older generation and to be complimented on my parenting. Wowzers! Her response..."You really, truly are!" Made my day!!!! I'M DOING SOMETHING RIGHT TODAY!!!!
Ok, back to the cuddling. Natalie had colic and we held her and rocked her A LOT!!! I mean a lot, a lot. We even pulled her around in a cardboard Cub Foods box with a scarf for hours at a time...back and forth, back and forth...because it kept her calm. We were very devoted parents and it burned a TON of calories :). Yes, she was our first child, but I did what I had to do. Excessive? Maybe, to a point, but she needed me. I rocked her to bed every night up until she was one. At one year old I decided I'm done. She transitioned smoothly to putting herself to sleep and taught me the lesson that I am not as needed as I thought. It is always good to learn something from the kids.
To this day, she still likes to crawl in bed with me in the middle of night for a little cuddle and I'm ok with that. Even if she is 6, I will still be ok with it when she is 10 and when she is 20. I'm a mom and she will always be my baby.
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| The Cub Foods box getting a workout |
When our son was born, he wasn't as fortunate.
I knew I didn't have the energy that I did with Miss Natalie. She drained it out of me. I took full advantage of holding him and letting him sleep on my chest. There is no better feeling than having your child snuggled up on you in a ball. They smell soooo good! Fast forward to today and at three years old he loves to sit on laps for story time and snuggle during movies. At the end of the day, there is no better feeling.
Marianne
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