Twenty five years
ago when I began in the motherhood business, you were cool if you had one of
those snuggie baby carriers to strap on. The carrier was helpful because you
could put it on and get some ironing and cooking done – hopefully not letting
junior get too close to the heat. They were especially useful at supper time
when all of my kids went ballistic right when I needed it the least.
I was leery of the sci-fi aspect of the baby
monitors available in those days. Some of the other mothers had them but I
thought they were a little intimidating back then. They looked a bit like the
old portable telephone you see in Seinfeld reruns. Besides, I always wanted the
baby in the room with me anyway so I could check on his breathing every three
minutes.
It’s incredible the
amount of baby stuff out there today. The more they advertise it the more all
the parents begin to feel it’s all a big must-have. Not only are parents
supposed to provide a college education down the road, but they need to begin
the education process shortly after birth with specially enhanced television
and computer programs, or some kind of technologically-enhanced audio of womb
sounds.
I’ll admit I used Disney videos to keep the toddlers occupied while I made supper but we made
our own fun the rest of the day. Thankfully I had worked at a child care center
while I was in college and I remembered some cheap tricks – hammering nails
into tree stumps, painting the driveway with old paint brushes and a bucket of water on a
hot day, and fishing with a stick with a piece of yarn tied to the end of it. And
a little bit of dress up always goes a long way. We would have some pretty big
adventures without ever going to Toys ‘R Us.
It seems now it’s
about what contraptions you need to make your life easier when if you were
interested in an easy life, you never would have decided to have children in
the first place. I’m afraid keeping baby occupied with all that stuff leads to
a baby that needs to have constant stimulation. Now that’s work.
My idea of keeping
baby entertained is a nice long rock in the rocking chair while I sing the
three little fishes song. Now that I’m older, I’d easily drop whatever I am
doing to hold a squirming baby. Everything comes full circle. When you’re a new
mom, you love to hold that baby but your mind is running in a thousand
directions wondering how you’re going to get everything done that day. It isn’t
until much later when you realize that you should have just taken a deep breath
and enjoyed that baby smell while you had the chance.
I say stop what
you’re doing and pick those babies up, no matter what size, and hold on tight
every chance you get because before you know it, they’re asking you for money
and bringing strangers into your house for you to feed.
Trust yourself, you
know more than you think you do.
Benjamin Spock
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