is the title of one of my new favorite books. I couldn't have phrased it better. I have been working really hard on having more realistic expectations of motherhood and this book has really added some humor to that.
After working with infants in child care for four years, I had a pretty good idea (OK, I had an exact detailed plan) of how I was going to raise my children. If I'm being honest, I spent a lot of time at work thinking I'm never going to let my child eat that, do that, say that.. etc.
I have to say, this whole becoming a mom experience has made me a big believer in fate. I believe that I got the perfect child to teach me the error of my old ways. 95% of the time Kelan is an angel. He is really calm and happy and has a fun-loving personality. People have always remarked that I am lucky to have such an "easy" baby. Well not only does this feed some sort of weird desire that I have to please people, but it puts pressure on me to somehow deny (and go nuts during) the other 5% of the time, when he is a temper-tantrum-throwing, monster-when-he-misses-enough-naps, average toddler.
Just recently when I was at the ymca paying for some classes, the woman at the desk shared a smile with Kelan. "What a sweet little boy" she said. "He seems really easy-going. My third was like that; doesn't it really throw you when he isn't himself?" She really hit the nail on the head. She went on to talk about how her first was really dramatic, and had "fits" all the time, but when her easy kid would do it, it would really throw her for a loop. It's so true! I've often thought that I wouldn't get so worked up about his "crabby times" if I was used to it, and could be better prepared.
Anyway, I digress.
One thing I have learned this year is that as a parent- you will do almost everything you swore you wouldn't do before you had kids (or at least I have.) For me, this included laying my seven month old down with a bottle once in awhile to help everyone get some sleep...old me would have had a coronary.
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