Saturday, September 21, 2013

Motherhood lessons - part 2


I had discussed about the first phase of motherhood, looking after a newborn in the previous post. My second phase was more of disengagement and self sympathy. I felt I had given too much and had forgotten to look after myself. I decided to take out time to relax and enjoy along with babysitting. Initially, it served as a big relief and boosted my morale. Slowly, the leisure activities and main work swapped. I insisted on finishing the daily bit of relaxation prior to other tasks. I began avoiding playing with the child. As I was desperately waiting to get her into school, it became more easier to reduce conversations with her thinking she has many other people outside to talk to.

After a few months, the child's attitude changed. She became adamant, angry and less sociable. I thought of it as part of growing up and ignored. Only when the problem persisted, I felt something was wrong. Then I knew it was more of my fault. Lesson learnt:

THE CHILD NEEDS ATTENTION AT ALL PHASES OF HIS/HER LIFE.

Lack of acknowledgement by parents affects the child's development. I have increased my interactions with her. Earlier, a family outing was seen as an opportunity to spend time with the spouse while the child enjoyed observing the surroundings. Now, it's also a time to interact with the kid and help widen her horizons.

Picture courtesy: thebabyshow.co.uk


"Baby, that is a museum where old artifacts are kept. We can go one day" , I told her though I was very sure that she would not understand it.
After a few seconds, she replied' " mamma, is it the same museum that Peppa pig visits with her family?"
I was surprised that she could recollect and relate it with a cartoon seen long back.
I was happy that I had taken the right decision.

Better late than never, right?

No comments:

Post a Comment