sleepless and rambling
Given that Mia is hardly rolling over, let alone crawling, I am have not been thinking about baby proofing. Except for the odd moment when I realize that it is going to be a little insane to keep all of Henry’s million small toys that are constantly littering the floor out of her mouth. Other than that, not so much. Henry on the other hand, when confronted with a stash of rubber bands, decided to take matters into his own hands. As you may be able to tell, he was actually quite thorough.
He may be onto something though. This child does have access to tools and when she figures out that the hammer is good for something beyond putting in her mouth we may all be in trouble.
In a tangential way, this reminded me of a conversation years ago when Nonlinear Girl was very pregnant. A number of our friends were chatting and the topic landed on childproofing. No doubt, one of us was complaining about something our small child had gotten into. I think I remember it so well because Nonlinear Girl is one of the most polite, chatty people I know. Seriously, she can make small talk like nobody’s business, a skill I often wish I possessed a bit more of. In any case, a childless friend asked her if she was thinking about baby proofing and planning how to fix up her home for a mobile baby. The answer was a clear, simple “no” and then conversation moved on. I remember feeling like smirking and then feeling like a bit of a jerk for that impulse. It's easy to feel like part of a club once you have a child but I do understand that the minute details that become the focus of our lives with children are likely beyond comprehensible to those who aren’t living them.
It is so easy to get caught up in the stage/phase/age of the moment and forget what came before and what comes next in our children’s lives. At the moment I am trying to figure out feeding Mia something other than what comes out of my breasts. Granted, I am trying a different approach than I did with Henry but it was only a couple years ago that we were starting to feed him. It’s simply amazing how few details I remember and feel like I have to learn it all over again. For me, I think the second child is easier because I am less worried about timeframes and milestones and such. I know it will all happen in due time and that stressing and researching isn’t going to help. On the other hand, I really don’t feel like it is much easier because I already know how to do the thing in question. Perhaps it was that year-and-a-half that Henry hardly slept but I can seriously hardly remember a thing. Thankfully we have photos.
He may be onto something though. This child does have access to tools and when she figures out that the hammer is good for something beyond putting in her mouth we may all be in trouble.
In a tangential way, this reminded me of a conversation years ago when Nonlinear Girl was very pregnant. A number of our friends were chatting and the topic landed on childproofing. No doubt, one of us was complaining about something our small child had gotten into. I think I remember it so well because Nonlinear Girl is one of the most polite, chatty people I know. Seriously, she can make small talk like nobody’s business, a skill I often wish I possessed a bit more of. In any case, a childless friend asked her if she was thinking about baby proofing and planning how to fix up her home for a mobile baby. The answer was a clear, simple “no” and then conversation moved on. I remember feeling like smirking and then feeling like a bit of a jerk for that impulse. It's easy to feel like part of a club once you have a child but I do understand that the minute details that become the focus of our lives with children are likely beyond comprehensible to those who aren’t living them.
It is so easy to get caught up in the stage/phase/age of the moment and forget what came before and what comes next in our children’s lives. At the moment I am trying to figure out feeding Mia something other than what comes out of my breasts. Granted, I am trying a different approach than I did with Henry but it was only a couple years ago that we were starting to feed him. It’s simply amazing how few details I remember and feel like I have to learn it all over again. For me, I think the second child is easier because I am less worried about timeframes and milestones and such. I know it will all happen in due time and that stressing and researching isn’t going to help. On the other hand, I really don’t feel like it is much easier because I already know how to do the thing in question. Perhaps it was that year-and-a-half that Henry hardly slept but I can seriously hardly remember a thing. Thankfully we have photos.
posted by mama without instructions at 8:46 PM
1 Comments:
(hmmm, queen of small talk. maybe my new motto?)
As you suggest, not only do people not in a particular stage not know what it involves, but people past that stage forget what it was like. Good thing I have written stuff down, otherwise I would remember nothing of what it was like to have a six month old.
Post a Comment
<< Home