The Blossoming of a Dad

Carrie Lauth:  Hi moms this is Carrie Lauth with www.naturalmomstalkradio.com.  I had to share something that happened to me this morning, something I did this morning because it was a total mommy moment and I realized oh my goodness I am a full fledge mommy now.  I can’t believe I’ve done this. 

We decided at the last minute this morning to take the kids to see this juggler at the library today and so I’m rushing around trying to get everybody to finish up their little morning chores and get shoes and socks on and I realized oh man I’ve gotta get myself ready.  I run into the bathroom and I found myself washing my face and my armpits with a baby wipe and I didn’t even think about what I was doing until afterwards and then I was like oh my goodness that is a totally mommy moment.  I just took a baby wipe shower. 

Anyhow I promise that I did not smell bad and I had to sit around about 200 other parents at the library, it was pretty close quarters but I promise I didn’t stink.  It made me think about a funny article that I read a long time ago about this mom who had a new baby and it was their first baby and she and her husband were just trying to figure out how everything worked and how to get everything done and she decided that she wanted to go and take a little break. 

She was going to go out for a walk and leave the house, and she said honey can you give the baby a bath.  She goes off on her walk and she comes back and she realizes that the dad has given the baby a bath with baby wipes. Part of her wanted to go oh my gosh I can’t believe you just gave our baby a bath by wiping him with baby wipes and then the other part of her, the smarter part, realized you know what that is ok and he needs to learn his own way and if I criticize I’m going to set myself up for years of hassle here. 

I’ve got to set this precedent by letting him do things the way he thinks is ok, I can live with that, it’s not the way I would do it but its ok, it’s not a big deal. That was very wise of her.  I got to thinking about that and how daddies evolve over time.  We went out to eat dinner with my parents last night and my husband right before the food came he says honey let me take the baby and he took her and he starts walking around the restaurant because she was getting a little bit irritable, it was kind of late and she was sleepy.  He was walking around outside and I thought you know what – this man eight years ago would have not done that. 

He would not have asked me if he could take the baby for a walk around the restaurant.  He might of even been a teensy bit resentful if there was a fussy young one that was interrupting his relaxing meal and I thought isn’t that interesting – he has evolved so much as a dad and it just made my heart sing.  And then later on when our meal came, I guess he just wanted me to eat my food in peace and not have to juggle trying to feed a baby little bits of what she can eat at almost ten months so he said honey let me take her and he held that baby in his lap on his knees and fed her rice from his plate and it just made my heart just dance. 

He has just come such a long ways, so if anything I just wanted to say be patient with your daddies, your babies daddies because they learn things a little bit differently but they do learn.  They will figure it out and if you give them their space and let them figure things out in their own way and don’t expect perfection of them or yourself, then everything will work out and you will end up getting a lot more help from dad then you would have if you had been a bud inskie and tried to manipulate and control.  Just give up control and let daddies do what daddies do. 

I encourage you to come listen at www.naturalmomstalkradio.com and visit me at www.naturalbabyworld.com.  Have a great week moms!