Never say Never

I have learned many a lesson as a Mommy. Most of these lessons have taught me about the type of Mom I want to be, made me a better Mom, or have allowed for me to appreciate others' views about parenting. However, a valuable lesson for most mothers is when they realize they really knew nothing about being a Mom before becoming one.

Bribing a child in the store with a cookie because he is screaming..."I will NEVER do that when I'm a mom!" Yep, I've done it. Why prolong the tantrum because both of you are stubborn?

"I will NEVER let my child sit in a high chair at a restaurant without a cover....those are so germy and gross." Truth...they are germy and gross. However, they make multi-purpose wipes for a reason. The cover lasts for a while. And then you get mommy brain and can never remember to grab it...and then you realize your child, in fact, did not die, catch a cold, or get herpes from the high chair. A second child? Poor Maria sat in the cover thing twice...it just became something else to remember to grab on top of two children, a diaper bag, sippy cups, and entertainment for children who don't really thing social rules apply in public restaurants.

"When I'm a Mom, I will NEVER allow for my child to act out or scream loudly in public." HAHA...let me know how that one works out for you.

"When I'm a Mom, I will NEVER allow my child to suck his or her thumb." We are mothers not, the child's brain that controls what soothes them. We can fight it, we can force the paci every chance we get, but in reality, they WILL find their thumb again (weird, I know since it is attached to their hand). Greg loved his boopie (paci) and Maria became my thumbsucker...I tried hard to force the paci, and that worked until she realized she could spit the paci out, and control her own hand...so I retreated and let her be her own person. Have you seen a teenager suck his or her thumb in public recently? Me neither. I'm not worried. I'm sure thumb sucking won't hinder her efforts in college, getting a job, or being successful...maybe it will postpone dating? That could be a good thing! HA!

My personal big "I'll NEVER EVER" was regarding my bed. I was not the type of person who wanted to co-sleep with my baby. I needed my space, and I LOVE my snuggle time, but bed time should be in one's own bed. Too many people I knew had toddlers still sleeping with them, and I just could not handle that. Our master bedroom was large enough to accommodate cribs for the first few months of each of my kiddos' lives. So they slept at the foot of my bed. Maria was a champ sleeper...she HATED being rocked and just wanted to be laid down to suck her thumb. Greg was a decent sleeper, but woke up at least once a night wanting to be rocked back to sleep. So I woke up, rocked him, and back to his own bed he went. To this day, neither child has ever slept with me or Greg through the night in our bed. Naps...that's another story...nothing beats a nap with a newborn in your bed with you!

Last week though...my sweet boy would not fall asleep in his room. So I took him into my room, and he passed out in my bed.

I did move him back to his room around 11PM before I went to bed. But it took all I had...I just wanted him to stay and cuddle with me! :-)

And you know what? He did not expect this special treat the next night! :-) Never say never...