chimerawinds (chimerawinds) wrote in circle_round, @ 2008-06-03 17:45:00 |
|
|||
Current mood: | contemplative |
The right balance...
I was just reading an article on www.yogajournal.com about a mom who was too much into attachment parenting. Hell, she even called it Krazy Glue parenting. She did the baby carrier thing, breastfed, wouldn't let even her husband hold the baby for fear he'd not do it right, etc. Thank the Goddess I resisted those tendencies. Granted, I think we are all prone to that at first.
I do carry Elora rather than use the stroller. I breastfed until my milk went dry early and I went into a depression when it did. Nothing brings back post partum depression like the knowledge you cannot provide the most basic and important of nutrients for your baby. I still get a little teary-eyed and don't like to talk about it. Even when I had to go the formula route, I went with an organic one.
I do let folks hold my baby. I don't just hand her to random strangers. If I'm comfortable with you, you can hold Elora. I've always been like that. She's getting the mommy attachment stage all babies go through in which if she can't see me, she whimpers. I resist the urge to run in the room and scoop her up. I talk to her, peek around the corner and tell her I'll be right with her. Now she will usually amuse herself with a toy for a minute and I can finish loading the dishwasher or whatever I need at the time.
Most nights she puts herself to sleep. I hold her and rock her through the last bottle and when she begins to rub her beautiful blue eyes, Daddy and I give her a kiss and I walk her to her room. We stop at Reggie's tank (her goldfish) and I tell her Reggie needs to go to bed now and we turn off his light. (Ok, she's 8 months old, but at least when she's older, bed time might not become a chore......well, I can hope.) I lay her down and cover her over. We say her prayers quietly (I guess at 8 months old, it's more for my benefit than hers)and I tell her "night night, sleep tight". Usually by the time I settle down with my DH, we hear her rustle around in the crib, coo a little, and then silence. Elora's fast asleep. The whole process takes maybe 5-10 minutes. The only time she doesn't go to sleep right away is if she's having a particulary difficult time teething. Even then, she usually goes to bed very well. I guess I'm lucky. Wow, I really got off on a tangent. </ljcut>
Anyway, what I'm getting at is this. Yep, Elora and I do a lot together. I have her circle with me. I want to teach her yoga with me, go on nature hikes with her, etc. What I hope I don't do is smother her with my interests and let her develope her own.