I Want to be a Good Mommy
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Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Today we babysat Tyson for a while, then the Carter kids came over to spend the night. They're sleeping right now. It's 3:45am. It's Ben & Stacy's 7th Wedding Anniversary! So we agreed to treat them to a night alone together...for FREE!
So we've got our own little Michael, plus the three Carter kids. And guess what?! Of all of them, Michael is the troublemaker brat whiner squealing obnoxious annoying one! John and I thought about this. Our consensus is that we need to stop giving him all of the incessant attention that we think he needs. See, whenever I'm doing something around the house that doesn't directly involve him, I feel guilty for not being "there" for him. It's gotten to the point that I just simply involve him with every thing I do. I hold him while I'm vacuuming, I talk to him while I'm doing anything, and I take frequent breaks from whatever I'm doing to play with him. I mean, he's an only child so he's got no sibling to play with. I want him to be a social person (and so far so good!) so I make sure to keep him engaged throughout the day. But I need to find a balance between ~not giving him enough attention~ and ~giving him too much attention.~ Is that why he's obnoxious (but mind you, still incredibly cute)? We're first-time parents, but I've seen a lot of first-timers get it right! I'll name the ones I can think of off hand: Heather Gammon, Heather Lumley. OK, that's what was off the top of my head. Great Moms they both are. Some suggestions please?!
posted by Angela Marie at 3:40 AM
Today we babysat Tyson for a while, then the Carter kids came over to spend the night. They're sleeping right now. It's 3:45am. It's Ben & Stacy's 7th Wedding Anniversary! So we agreed to treat them to a night alone together...for FREE!
So we've got our own little Michael, plus the three Carter kids. And guess what?! Of all of them, Michael is the troublemaker brat whiner squealing obnoxious annoying one! John and I thought about this. Our consensus is that we need to stop giving him all of the incessant attention that we think he needs. See, whenever I'm doing something around the house that doesn't directly involve him, I feel guilty for not being "there" for him. It's gotten to the point that I just simply involve him with every thing I do. I hold him while I'm vacuuming, I talk to him while I'm doing anything, and I take frequent breaks from whatever I'm doing to play with him. I mean, he's an only child so he's got no sibling to play with. I want him to be a social person (and so far so good!) so I make sure to keep him engaged throughout the day. But I need to find a balance between ~not giving him enough attention~ and ~giving him too much attention.~ Is that why he's obnoxious (but mind you, still incredibly cute)? We're first-time parents, but I've seen a lot of first-timers get it right! I'll name the ones I can think of off hand: Heather Gammon, Heather Lumley. OK, that's what was off the top of my head. Great Moms they both are. Some suggestions please?!
posted by Angela Marie at 3:40 AM