Entry FeedAs judgmental as we mother's seems to be of one another (breastfeeding, natural child birth, schooling, pacifiers, potty training, discipline, daycare, etc.) I have to say that I have honestly never met a bad mother.
I have met mothers who do things differently then I do. Some very differently. Some I think are ridiculous, or crazy, or neurotic. But they aren't bad. They are, like me, madly in love with their children and just trying to do the best for those children.
I don't know if anyone is born knowing how to be a mother. I am the first to admit that I had better plans, tactics and strategies for parenting long before my first child was born. And then when I was hit with the reality instead of the theory, it all went out the window.
Maybe by having more than one child, I am trying to improve as I go along. Mistakes I made with Son One, I try not to repeat with the others. Poor Son One! I definitely make the most mistakes with him.
When Son One was a baby we tried cloth diapers. Oh yes! As environmentally conscious as that decision was, it tortured my son every night. He would leak through the two cloth diapers, the extra absorbent strip, the plastic cover, his onsie, his sleeper and the sheets. He would wake up to feed, and I would need to change and clean my soaking little bundle of screams, while I woke Husband to change the crib with fresh sheets. This happened at least once a night for weeks! I can't remember when we finally started putting him in disposable diapers at night, but soon after he started sleeping from 11 pm - 7 am. I quit disposables completely when he started solid food - it was really just too gross.
In the past, mothers were judged bases on sacrifices which they made for their children. Some mothers sacrificed everything, including their lives. Luckily, in our time and place we don't have to. Instead for us it often comes down to time, or trading something we want for something they need.
In theory, there is a plan we could follow to raise the perfect child. If we didn't believe that, then there wouldn't be a shelf full of parenting books at Chapters. However, in practice, just as each of us are individuals, so are each of our children. This dictates that each child has different needs, and we have to adapt to fulfill those needs.
The mothers I've met are all different. Some I agree with on some points (I am pretty pro-breastfeeding) and disagree with on the others (I can't see why you would go through the pain of natural child birth if there is no real benefit to you or the baby). However, every mother I have met, and gotten to know, and watched with her children, has one thing in common - we all love our children like crazy. And I think that is the foundation for being a great mom.
Am I in the ridiculous, crazy, neurotic, or "all of the above" mother category?!
You're an awesome mom yourself!