Today I realized something new about parenting my third child. I realized that I don’t read parenting books as Charlotte grows and develops. I was a nut about them with my first two babies.

When I was pregnant with Mia I read every possible book about pregnancy, birth, fetal development, pregnant diet, etc. As soon as she was born I began pouring over books on baby development, milestones, and healthy. I kept them with me at all times and used them almost like a daily reference tool. There was very little I couldn’t find the answers to within those books. When she was a toddler I moved on to the next level and followed them daily.

When Jacob was born I was a little different. He was born 3 weeks early and was a rather sick baby. He was colicky. He had reflux. He had problems with formula. He had a condition called Stridor, and he was constipated. Poor kid. That caused me to add the Internet to my pile of resources. I read as much as I could on his health to try to find anything that would help that child. Plus, he developed slower than my daughter in some areas. This forced me to thing that something was wrong with his development. I later realized that kids develop different. Eventually he caught up in every area, excelled in some, and did it all in the span of a few months. It was like going from a kids that says a word or two to having a kid that talks in complete sentences overnight. Jacob taught us to relax a little. Lord knows that he isn’t going to do anything until he’s darn well ready.

It is different with Charlotte, though. I don’t read those developmental books this time. It’s not that I have them memorized or really even know what kids should do at any given level. Truthfully, I think I blocked out so much when the other two were little babies that I needed to review the books at certain points. But, with Charlotte I’m more relaxed. I may even say that I’m more confident in my abilities. I don’t worry about here development or meeting specific targets when the book says she should. I have learned that babies get to things when they are ready. Sometimes I think those books create a sense of competition between parents and their babies rather than just being a guide or a resource. My daughter is healthy, happy, growing, and being a total love every single day. I don’t need a book to tell me that. I just need my instincts as a parent. I almost wish it had been this way with the first two.

Of course, I think it’s important for all parents to go through the different parenting phases, including neurotic parenting. If we didn’t eventually get to this relaxed phase we’d probably all quit breeding.

Today I realized something new about parenting my third child. I realized that I don’t read parenting books as Charlotte grows and develops. I was a nut about them with my first two babies.

When I was pregnant with Mia I read every possible book about pregnancy, birth, fetal development, pregnant diet, etc. As soon as she was born I began pouring over books on baby development, milestones, and healthy. I kept them with me at all times and used them almost like a daily reference tool. There was very little I couldn’t find the answers to within those books. When she was a toddler I moved on to the next level and followed them daily.

When Jacob was born I was a little different. He was born 3 weeks early and was a rather sick baby. He was colicky. He had reflux. He had problems with formula. He had a condition called Stridor, and he was constipated. Poor kid. That caused me to add the Internet to my pile of resources. I read as much as I could on his health to try to find anything that would help that child. Plus, he developed slower than my daughter in some areas. This forced me to thing that something was wrong with his development. I later realized that kids develop different. Eventually he caught up in every area, excelled in some, and did it all in the span of a few months. It was like going from a kids that says a word or two to having a kid that talks in complete sentences overnight. Jacob taught us to relax a little. Lord knows that he isn’t going to do anything until he’s darn well ready.

It is different with Charlotte, though. I don’t read those developmental books this time. It’s not that I have them memorized or really even know what kids should do at any given level. Truthfully, I think I blocked out so much when the other two were little babies that I needed to review the books at certain points. But, with Charlotte I’m more relaxed. I may even say that I’m more confident in my abilities. I don’t worry about here development or meeting specific targets when the book says she should. I have learned that babies get to things when they are ready. Sometimes I think those books create a sense of competition between parents and their babies rather than just being a guide or a resource. My daughter is healthy, happy, growing, and being a total love every single day. I don’t need a book to tell me that. I just need my instincts as a parent. I almost wish it had been this way with the first two.

Of course, I think it’s important for all parents to go through the different parenting phases, including neurotic parenting. If we didn’t eventually get to this relaxed phase we’d probably all quit breeding.