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Oh mommy guilt...how it plagues the best of us, even though we don't like to admit it. Deep in our hearts we wonder if what we're doing with (or without) our kids will scar them for life.
Will they resent us?
Is this going to send them to counseling later in life?
Okay that's a bit dramatic, but those questions have crossed my mind on more than one occasion.
One area I have been struggling with mommy guilt recently is the thought of bringing in another child to our family. I feel mommy guilt on both ends of the spectrum. I worry that Bug is going to feel like she's being replaced, that she's going to feel like she wasn't enough, and that she is going to resent her little brother. How do I keep her feeling loved and that having a little brother is just letting the love grow? On the other hand, I worry about Little Boy. We haven't done nearly the things with him that we did with Bug. I would read to Bug all the time when she was in my belly and play music too. When we found out we were having a girl with her, we immediately picked out a song to be "her song" and would play it over and over again for her. To this day it is still the only song that will calm her down when she is absolutely inconsolable. We've known for 10 weeks that we were having a little man and have JUST NOW found him a song! I feel like I'm really behind on the eight ball with this little guy!
I feel almost ashamed sharing this with y'all, but I know that I'm not the only one out there who has felt this way. There are many other times that I feel that mommy guilt creeping up on me: Bug being sick for the past month is one. I just wish there was something I could do to make her all better.
But the thing with mommy guilt is that we don't have to feel it. It's a lie. We don't have to feel that guilt or worry. For me, it's a matter of trusting God. I will do the best I can, but I trust that He will make up for where I have failed. And I accept that I will fail, but I know that He is much bigger than the guilt and failure.
May 8: Taming the Temper Tantrums
May 15: Weaning from Breastfeeding or From Formula to Cow’s Milk
May 22: Dealing with Mommy Guilt
May 29: When People Share Their Opinions and How to Lovingly Handle it
June 5: Traveling with your Toddler
June 12: How to get your toddler to eat their veggies…or their food at all
June 19: How to make time to blog in the busyness of motherhood
June 26: Bedtime Battles (nap or bedtime)
