But what I was going to say was how people are constantly asking me "How do you manage to do it all when your husband is gone so much?" And for me, the answer is...the truth is...you learn it's okay to break some rules sometimes. And these rules would be my rules. And this is a picture of one rule being broken...
Before Thomas was born I decided to follow the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics and not allow Thomas to watch television (and when I could help it, not even have it on when he was in the room, even as a baby) until he was 2. Now this is not to say that if any of my fellow mommies out there choose to allow their toddlers and infants to be exposed to the television it's a bad thing. It's just not our choice. I remember my friend Nancy blogged about this subject not too long ago. In the end, we all want what's best for our children and we make personal choices to that end.
We have done pretty well with this goal (and I've come to really enjoy the peace and quiet it allows to not have the TV on all day long, as I used to do just for background noise). And now that he is 2, I planned to limit his television watching to one hour of age-appropriate programming a day. But now that I have a baby thrown into the mix and I often have to figure out how to feed two kids, fix dinner, clean the house, bathe the kids, etc. all by myself much of the time, I learned that the TV and DVDs can sometimes be my friend. This is a rule that gets broken (though I still keep it under 1.5-2 hours/day). Pretty much all he watches are Sesame Street & Bob the Builder. In the end, I don't think Thomas will be harmed, and I know I will be much better off!
The other rule involves Parker. Now I know that when I was a baby, everyone thought babies should sleep on their stomachs. And nowadays the American Academy of Pediatrics feels it's best for babies to sleep on their backs. Well, I've learned lately that in the afternoon I can be very productive and have some playtime with Thomas before I fix dinner and get him fed if I allow this:
And if you can't see that well enough, here's a better picture:
Parker sleeps so well... I mean, he sleeps like a baby if I let him do this in the afternoon. So I break another rule (and I constantly watch him on the video monitor...not sure how we lived without that thing with Thomas).
I'm no Supermom and if there is one thing I have learned, it's that I'm quite human. We all have good days and bad days. And in the end, we just have to do what works to make it through the day. I'll try to keep my rule breaking to a minimum, but when it's necessary, I won't be afraid to do it!
2 comments:
Rules were meant to be broken!! Both my boys slept on their tummies all the time. And the TV, it has saved my sanity more times than I care to admit. My kids are going to be better for it because they have a relaxed and rejuvenated Momma who had 30 minutes to get back on top of things.
I don't care what you say, you are still supermom. I tivo Sesame Street and Barney. They have saved me with a newborn. And yes, I too have discovered that Sarah Ellen sleeps very soundly on her belly. She gets at least one nap a day on her tummy. Cheers to rule breaking!
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