Well, we are home from our wonderful vacation in Florida with Jeff’s family. We had a great time – Sam did awesome on the plane (his ears didn’t bother him at all), loved the beach even more this year than last, and I even came home feeling rested and refreshed thanks to helpful grandparents, aunts & uncles, etc. Today, we are resting at home – reuniting with toys and normalcy – and getting ready for my girlfriend and her little one to arrive for a few days later this afternoon.
Anyway, somewhere between giving my two year old a stick of gum on the way down, and him literally climbing under my seat right after the plane landed back at home to poop, I was struck by just how much I “eat my words” as a mom. Honestly, from the minute Sam was born (and probably even before that), I’ve been “breaking the rules” I set for myself as a mother…
Thankfully, motherhood has also made me MUCH less of a “rule follower.” I’m pretty comfortable with most of the decisions we’ve made, and even find it pretty funny how “perfect” a mom I was before I had a baby. Regardless, one thing is for sure: Motherhood is nothing if not humbling.
I’m going to get my baby on a schedule from the very beginning.
I won’t be one of those annoying people that refers to herself as “mommy” and her husband as “daddy.”
I’m not going to give my baby a pacifier, a bottle, or formula.
My child will NEVER sleep in my bed.
I will never kiss my child on the lips.
And, more recently…
I will teach my child to sit nicely at a restaurant/in the car/ visiting other peoples’ homes/ etc., and I won’t use an iPad, cellphone, or movie to entertain him.
I will never tolerate my child throwing fits in public, and – on the off chance that he does – I will certainly not lose my cool.
My child will never spend a whole day in pjs or play in the dog’s water bowl.
Yeah, “Pre-Baby Me” thinks “Post-Baby Me” is a total hot-mess disaster of a mother. And “Post-Baby Me” has many a good laugh thinking about how dumb and judgmental “Pre-Baby Me” was. 🙂
Motherhood is nothing if not humbling.
Tell me, were you the “perfect mom” – like me – before you had kids? What “rules” have you broken since becoming a mom?
(I wrote some more heartfelt – deeper – thoughts on this same topic here if you’re interested.)
E