1) "this too shall pass" is a very important mantra for moms. it applies to the bad times (baby WILL sleep through the night someday, baby's fever WILL pass, you WILL fit back into your old jeans again...) but also the GOOD times. just remember everything is a phase! kids screaming when you leave them with a sitter? they'll get over it! 2 year old throwing a tantrum? they'll get over it! kids sleeping in til 7am? enjoy it now, because they'll get over that too!
2) when in doubt, put on the sunscreen.
3) give kids time to be kids. lots of downtime is important. let them explore, create their own games. take them on long, meandering walks around the block and let them stop wherever they want, take whichever route they choose. so what if it takes 30 minutes to go one block? they love it, and are learning so much along the way.
4) remember to feed yourself, too! it'll be 4pm and i'll have fed the kids two full meals and several snacks and be STARVING myself, never having put a thing into my mouth. i just forget sometimes. and it's bad. not healthy.
5) be yourself around your kids! play loud rap music if that's what you like, dance in your undies, cry, laugh, say "i don't know...but let's find out," make mistakes, argue, debate. be genuine and you'll raise genuine kids who really know who you are - the good, the bad, the ugly, the colorful, the creative, the funny, the moody...all of it!
6) one insightful thing i remember my mom telling someone once: you're supposed to be their mom, not their friend. certainly wonderful, precious friendships can and usually do develop between a mom and her kids, but don't let being your child's friend get in the way of making tough decisions and enforcing rules that may make them not "like" you for awhile.
1 comment:
Hey Carrie, Leslie here! I am late in catching up with the Gilmer's but I LOVE what you have written and am going to encourage some new mom friends of mine to read your stuff immediately! Really inspiring and lovely. Love the part about reading to your kids, so important and I remember how important growing up with books was to me. Also just playing outside and we were soooo creative as a result. The post of you at 1 year old is incredible - you and Paige could be twins. So touching!
Robyn Smith and I had a glass of wine (ok, 2) last night and that was fun catching up. She will keep her ears out for me as I am still looking. She told me you were part time at Billion Dollar Babes - cool! Let me know how that goes!
Keep writing your great stuff - a book perhaps???
I'd read it!!!!!!!
Post a Comment