Mothers Day | I'll Be Better Next Time...
Second-time moms. What do they know? What do they realize they don't know. What do they vow to do better? What have they forgotten since having another one?
Well, I think anyone who has had a baby (hopefully) has gained an understanding that no kid is the same... and that the benefit of the doubt should be extended to every parent out there. We are all doing the best that we can with the kids/resources/abilities that we have. So obviously, the day-to-day of how that plays out will look REALLY different between each family... and even between specific children within those families.
Since I'm not sure anyone is actually an expert in the realm of parenting, I thought it would just be great to get one piece of advice from some moms that I really like.
The question is simple: What's ONE thing you did better the second time you had a kid.
And, well, this is what they said:
HANNAH CARPENTER | SUNDRY MUMSY
What I did better the second time I became a mom... I better understood what was involved. With the first, I knew nothing about taking care of a baby or how my life would alter with it's arrival. Merely changing diapers broke me out into a full on sweat. The second time, I learned to chill the heck out and go with the flow. And I did a lot better with that umbilical cord thingy!
GRACE PATTON | CAMP PATTON
The second time around I was more acutely aware of how quickly my favorite frog leg and pterodactyl screech stage passes and was sure to soak it up and push aside the temptation to get back to normal life. I lowered my daily living standards because I knew that everything would eventually fall back into place when it should. And the second time around I was sure to wait lots and lots and lots of weeks postpartum to try to slither into my pre-pregnancy jeans which made for a much happier baby mama ;).
JESSICA GARVIN | LITTLE BABY GARVIN
As a first time mom, I felt an immense amount of pressure to not only be doing everything right, but to also be doing everything. I look bad and laugh a little at how hard I was trying: making my own baby food and dragging my infant to music class. I used to say I thought she was bored because she would just lay there and look around, but then my own mom reminded me, "Oh she would let you know if she was bored!" With my second, I became much more laid back and called it a win so long as everyone was smiling at the end of the day. Or most days!
BRIDGET HUNT | TALES OF ME AND THE HUSBAND
Having another baby taught me to let go... a lot. I remember my mom saying "If only all babies could be second babies." I get now what she meant. You learn to relax, you're more confident in yourself and your abilities to mother. You discover that their cries don't always mean that something wrong. Sometimes, they just need to cry in your arms. Their world is so new after all! After feeling such an intense vulnerability and fear after the birth of Parker, it was nice not to feel that quite so keenly when Anders came. Mothering becomes more and more comfortable with each passing child, and it's a very welcome discovery!
I loved these! I respect so many of these different moms- all are so different, but all do an amazing job parroting their children in the best ways they can.
Now it's your turn- what is something you did better on the second time as a mom? (I'm taking notes!)