- There have been days when my son has been in the same diaper in 6 hours. Thank goodness for diaper creams to combat diaper rash.
- I sometimes forget to wash his hands before bed, even if he’s used them to eat his dinner (I do wipe him after dinner).
- I use the “5 second rule” for food that’s fallen on our floor at home, but I’ve given up running to stop him from eating food he found on the floor that’s been there for a day (I swear I didn’t see the cheerios).
- His high chair sometimes spends a couple days or more without being wiped or disinfected.
- I haven’t cleaned his strollers or his car seat, EVER. Hello, crumbs and year-old germs!
- I let him watch TV even if he’s not two yet (I do need to clean up after we eat), and there have been a few days when the TV was on for more than a couple hours. A day, to be more specific.
- When he signs for his rice ice cream (he’s allergic to milk) during lunch time at home, I allow him to have it WITH his lunch.
- I’ve chosen the past of least resistance and allowed him to get used to nursing to sleep. He hasn’t learned to sleep on his own, or soothe himself back to sleep.
- He has never been away from me for a day since he was born. EVER. Therefore, he hasn’t learned to cope with separation anxiety, not allowing other people to even hold him for a few minutes. Or he could also just be naturally shy, taking after his dad.
- I put my needs in the bottom of my to-do list, when I should have “taking care of myself” on the top (hence the cobwebs on my blog).
These don’t even come close to the full list – I can go on and on. But 20 months into motherhood, I realize that I can never be a perfect mom and it’s ridiculous to want to be one. I am only human and can only do so much, so I need to lower my standards a little. In fact, because I’m here where no help is available aside from my already-exhausted husband, I should lower the bar even more.
I do try my hardest to be the best mom I can be – making sure my son is healthy, fed and loved. I hope that’s good enough.
