There are so many parenting styles and philosophy's out there. So many choices to make as a new parent. Co- sleeping, breast feeding, baby wearing, baby led weaning, sleep training... and the list goes on, and on and ON. There are even choices to make about the whole birth process; natural or epidural, OB or midwife, hospital, birthing center or at home... It's absolutely terrifying. And as a first time parent, I didn't want to make the wrong choice. Heaven forbid I choose purees over baby led weaning and screw her chances to get into a good university right?!
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But in all honesty, this post isn't about whether than one is better than the other. I have no interest in debating any of that... your baby, your choice. But I did want to share a little about how I roll as a parent. And while I am a relative rookie in this whole adventure that is parenting, so far so good ( I think...)
I guess my style could best be described as "go with the flow". When T was teeny tiny, we let her dictate when she ate and slept. I did breastfeed (I am an advocate of feeding your baby, whether it be formula or breastfeeding. I was lucky that I was able to breastfeed successfully for 9 months but I know its not that easy for everyone... the first 2 weeks were REALLY hard). I tried to "wear" her in a Beco carrier but in all honesty, she wasn't the biggest fan (I loved the carrier, she just didn't like being that close to me). I started feeding her solids around 6 months and I did start her on cereal and purees, but she's such an independent little thing, we moved pretty quickly on to finger foods. We never co-slept. She moves way too much in her sleep for either of us to be comfortable. And I did sleep train her around 7 months. We used The Baby Sleep Solution and it worked really well for us.
For the first year of her life, I let my daughter lead the way. And she taught me everything I needed to know about parenting that first year.
Looking towards the future, I hope I can maintain a relaxed attitude towards parenting. I know that toddlers are challenging, 3 year olds are down right terrifying and I don't even want to think about the teenage years. And while I will continue to go with the flow, there are a few things that's I feel it's my duty to instill in her as a parent.
1. Respect - for her family, her elders, her classmates and friends, the environment and the farm animals that are our livelihood. Most importantly, respect for herself.
2. Ambition - for whatever she chooses in life. May it be school work, a hobby, farming or her career. Whatever direction she chooses in life, I hope she lives it passionately and with ambition.
3. Love and Laughter - Recently, T and I were hanging out with my Mom and sister. While watching my Mom and T play and giggle together, my sister said "we were raised with a lot of laughter". This has resonated with me ever since. Its true. We were raised in a household full of love and laughter and I only hope I can do the same.
Raising a farm kid presents a whole new set of challenges, and opportunities. I am totally cool with my kid getting dirty. Heck, she already does! I know the farm allows for all sorts of exploration and learning opportunities. And with these opportunities comes challenges. She will need to learn that while cows are docile and sweet animals, they are animals. And animals are unpredictable. She will need to learn that tractors are not toys, and the manure pit is never a place she should be. But above all, I hope she learns how lucky she is to have a dairy farm in her backyard.
So Miss T, thanks for teaching me more than I could ever learn from a book over the last 13+ months.
Fingers crossed we can muddle through toddlerhood with relative success!
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