Have you ever gone to the pediatrician and heard something that made you felt like a bad mom? I remember telling my kid’s doctor that my son still slept with me at two-years-old and he gave me a look. It was a look that made me feel about 10 inches tall. He said I should not let my baby sleep with me and that my son should be sleeping in his own bed. I immediately found a new pediatrician and stopped doubting myself and my parenting abilities.
This mom wrote about how her son’s flat head made her feel like a failure as a mother. “And as she’s [her kid’s pediatrician] explaining to me that they need more tummy time and shouldn’t be spending so much time in their car seats, all I can think about is how I’ve already failed as a Mommy…They don’t sleep very well in their cribs during the day, so I’ve been putting them in their car seats or their swings where they conk out for a couple of hours. All along though, I’ve known that I needed to break them of the bad habit, but I kept thinking, “Well, they’re still so young. It’s important that they sleep. One thing at a time. I’m doing the best I can. I have twins.” Now, I wonder if all of that was just excuses for lazy parenting.”
I can tell you right now that I did quite a few things because I was a lazy parent. I carried my baby in a sling, everywhere, everyday because it was easy. He didn’t cry and I could still get things done. Obviously, it didn’t cause anything like plagiocephaly, flat head, but I was questioned on more than one occasion about why I did it.
Most moms I know, do their best. They try to do what’s right for their kids, but sometimes they feel like failures.
How about you, have you felt like a failure with your kids? How did you remind yourself that you are trying to be the best mom and get on the right track?
