Saturday, October 11, 2008

Raised in captivity...

I've been thinking about my ridiculous parenting worries, and I've finally discovered the perfect way to describe them.

I'm like an animal who was raised in captivity who has a baby and doesn't know how to raise it.

They say you learn to be a parent from your own parents, right? Well, my mom is kind of far away (if we were any farther apart, we'd be getting closer) so I can't always go to her for advice or see her in action. When I was younger I just wasn't interested in kids or parenting. Well, now I have my own little guy and I have no clue what I should be doing. I kind of just have to make things up as I go along and hope for the best.

I'm starting to see just how major it was to move to England to have a baby. If there's one time you need your mother, it's when you have your first child. How was I brave enough to do this? Fortunately, I didn't even think about it. If I had, I don't think we ever would have left Utah!

I think a lot of my worries also stem from the fact that I am sometimes overly critical of other peoples' parenting. I see kids that are completely out of control, and I wonder if their parents ever bother with discipline. I see kids who are anti-social and I wonder if their parents ever talk to them or play with them. When they're really young if they are terrors it is totally their parents' fault! I judge other parents, so expect them to do the same to me!

Speaking of bad parenting, I really ought to turn the telly off now and get my son breakfast!

2 comments:

Emma said...

You really need to stop worrying!!
I know your Mom isn't here but you have a LOT of friends around you who are supportive and willing to help out but you actually need to let them.
My Mum lives right around the corner, but when it comes to the crunch it is still up to ME to judge what to do with MY kids because I brough them here.

Anonymous said...

We are all learning as we go along. The 2nd will be a bit easier because you will have gone through most of what will happen with Dylan. I am pretty sure (though I know I can't speak for everyone) that most, if not all of us feel like we don't know what we are doing a lot of the time in the first few years. I only feel more comfortable because I have been at it for 9 1/2 years! Even now I get all paranoid and anxious when my kids are sick or I have to make a run to the ER. Good luck! You're doing GREAT!