The wonderful thing about being a mother – without actually having a newborn – is the ability to reminisce about the baby stages with nostalgia and fondness … but not having to live through them again.
Oh, baby won’t sleep? What a sweet little angel.
She’s colicky? Poor little sweetie, she can’t help it. Shhh.
Pooped all over the change table, huh? Too adorable.
Of course, back when I was a parent for the first time, I’m pretty sure my reaction was decidedly different. As in, “get this crazy baby away from me, I’m at my wit’s end.” But that’s the lovely thing about time; it heals wounds and allows parents to forget just how difficult caring for a baby really is.
Now I’m no expert, but I’ve been officially designated the family’s “Parenting Guru” (based solely on the fact that I had babies first and ergo, have the most experience). And often, I find myself recalling the good times – the smiles, the coos, the bright-eyed babies looking around with wonder and innocence. But crying through the night? Don’t remember a thing!
(Ironically: pictured below, Reid crying.)
And if I had to lend just one piece of advice to new parents out there, it would be to follow your instincts. Honestly! There’s no “right” or “wrong” way to care for a baby; mothers have successfully raised children for centuries without the help of Dr. Google or Facebook mommy groups. What’s right for you may not be right for me, and what’s right for one baby may not be right for the next (even in the same family!). …