Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Am I doing this right?

So, here I go with the inevitable questions: "Am I doing this mother thing right?" "Am I playing with him enough? Correctly?" "Is he doing what he's supposed to be doing?" "Am I doing everything I can?"
I've always known I am a perfectionist, and I wondered how that would come into play when I became a mother...well...I know now. I don't expect my child to be perfect, I expect to be perfect at parenting my child. I spend most of my day wondering 'What else should I be doing to further his intellectual/physical/social development?'. Should I get more toys? Should he spend 5 more minutes doing tummy time? I just want the best for my child and I know that it's up to me to give it to him, so I want to be sure I'm doing everything I can. I know I can do more.

We're going back to San Antonio the first weekend of June and Riley's going to be baptized. I'm already worrying about what to pack, what toys, do I need to buy a travel swing to help calm him when/if he gets fussy or will his bouncy seat be enough?

I read articles on websites and emails that are sent to me from various companies and sometimes they say stuff about favorite blankets or stuffed animals, books, etc. Riley doesn't have a favorite stuffed animal, he hardly touches them?! And books, he doesn't really care about them, he's happy looking at a catalog with me. Favorite toys? He doesn't hold them or really reach for them yet, he just wants to lay around and look at them dangling over him, or look at people, that really seems to be his favorite thing. I know we're not supposed to compare our babies with other babies, but that's what we have to do to determine whether our children are 'on track'...we don't see the doctor every week.

So, here I sit, still confused, still worried, ready to write down every little game, or toy, or book that is referenced in all these 'articles' so I can make sure my baby boy gets everything he needs and that he develops properly. I guess I should stop worrying about what's right and what's wrong and just hope do this mommy gig as well as I possibly can.

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