My friend Amy (who also comments here as ConceptALT) recently posted a blog entry titled "Some Things I've Learned in the First Year of Parenting" and it made me think about what I might write on such a list.
This is an incomplete list but here are a few things that have stuck with me.
1) Despite what preconceptions you may have had prior to having kids, all children are individuals and no one strategy, perception, style, or approach will work for all kids. This is a cliche, I know, and gets talked about ad nauseaum when dealing with popular parenting debates. But what I really mean here is this. There are lots of good general principles about raising kids out there. They are all good things to keep in mind as you look at your own child. But nothing that happens to your child is guaranteed to happen to another child. The way your kid reacts to something is not necessarily going to mimic what someone else's kid did. Take all advice with a grain of salt and follow your own instincts with your child.
2) Your kid will always come up with ways to surprise you.
3) Change doesn't have to be as scary as one might think. A lot of the changes we thought would be really traumatic and difficult for R to handle were much easier than the anticipation that went into them.
4) Going on vacation will never be the same again-- in both good and bad ways. The good is that it's really really fun to do special and different things on vacation and watch your child react to them. The bad is that unless you have really awesome childcare, or you go on vacation without your child, it's not really "vacation" of the sort that you may have become accustomed to in your pre-baby years.
5) I am not necessarily as bad at routines as I thought I was.
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#4 is so true!!! We just learned that last week. We had visions of going on these long hikes with T in the Beco. And well, we did not anticipate that T would HATE going in the Beco! He used to like it! You're right though, it is fun in different ways.
ReplyDeleteWe can relate to those truths as well. Except for #5, which in my case I learned the opposite. I am a very routine person to begin with. I learned how to better deal with a break in routine by recognizing and taking advantage of opportunities!
ReplyDeleteLove,
JWS
oh, #3.... we recently switched from allowing M to fall asleep nursing to making her fall asleep in her crib. I thought it would be as bad as wehen we took away the pacifier. Not so! It took her 45 seconds the first night and then 30 seconds the next. NOT a problem.
ReplyDeleteAh...great list! Oh CraftyQueen, I'm so jealous. We're on month two of getting our little one to sleep through the night in his crib. Definitely, each one is a unique individual!
ReplyDelete