motherhood guilt

sometimes i wonder if i'm a good mama. i hope i am. i try to be. but there are times, where i put him in his vibe and let him just chill so i can do what i want to do. some times i get so tired of carrying him around, entertaining him and trying to make him happy, that i resort to playing baby einstein on the computer or putting him down on his activity mat to watch the lights. i don't do it often, but tonight i did. i'm tired. today is a day i have asher from dawn to dusk. alone. steve has a certification class from 5:30-8:30 and i'm just plain tired. physically and mentally. asher was actually tired too...i put him down at 7:20 tonight.

i think it was even harder tonight since it was raining. i couldn't take him out on a walk and i know he just gets so sick of my mug and the few baby toys we have in the house...so a night walk is always nice...i'm not sure what to do in the winter!!! i hate resorting to the swing, activity mat or baby einstein dvd.

does it make me a bad mama if i let him hang by himself for 20-30 minutes? i feel guilty doing it and i don't know why...but i do. i feel like i should be teaching him something or have some cool educational toy he likes...but i don't. i guess i just feel bad not entertaining him all the time. i feel like it's my role now, to be there for him at all times. not that he's not having fun by himself...maybe i'm just being silly.

Comments

You're being silly! Getting Asher to entertain himself is a HUGE deal -- in a good way!! It's a good thing if he can keep himself occupied. When I had my nephew here for a week, I never once felt bad for sitting him down in front of the Wiggles so that I could throw a load of laundry in, or to make lunch for the both of us. When they learn to entertain themselves... it's a very good thing for both you, and him! You're not a bad mama AT ALL! In fact -- when this baby makes an appearance, you can bet that I'll set his/her little buns in the bouncie chair or the exersaucer so I can grab a quick shower or a bite to eat.
Mindy Richmond said…
You're actually not doing him any favors if you entertain him 24/7. It's good for them to have some alone time. It may feel like you're being neglectful but it's just not true. I believe the whole idea that we need to educate/entertain our kids 24/7 with special toys and videos and all of that is just a result of a huge marketing campaign towards little ones (in fact I read a whole book about it). We have no idea how much babies are learning simply by studying their surroundings.

What's funny is that my fear when Luke was little was that he would be overstimulated. So I went the other direction. Of course he seemed to like that, sitting alone in his chair, falling asleep alone in his crib, and he absolutely hated the slings and carriers. Proof that every baby is different. You just have to find a balance I guess, but don't ever ever feel guilty for taking some time for yourself to do the things you've gotta do.
Phoenix Rising said…
i know you're both right. i just want to make sure i'm giving him everything he wants/needs...i need to find the balance...

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