I'm sure I am not the only Mommy that dreads leaving their baby, right? Or maybe I should say babies? Corinne is 2 and I still struggle when I have to leave her! I'm sure some of you are reading this and thinking that I am crazy, and you may be right! I think I'm addicted to my children! I'm totally that Mom in the Capri Sun sun commercial that jumps in the Dodge Ball game so her son doesn't get hit! I'm definitely that Mom that will follow the bus to school on their 1st, 25th and last day of school. I'm that Mom that cries every time I box up the clothes they've outgrown. So now that you know how far gone I am you have some understanding as to why I have Mommy separation anxiety. I'm not exactly sure what my anxiety stems from? It's not that I feel that I am the only one that can take care of them. Josh is an amazing father and my girls absolutely adore him. I do not question his capabilities in the slightest. It's not like I think they will be rolling around on the floor sobbing while asking for me. I really think that this is my issue. I know for a fact that I do not want to miss a minute of their lives. I want to be there for every little thing. And I mean EVERY little thing. No matter how many times Corinne sings Justin Bieber's Baby I want to hear it.
On Saturday I co-hosted a Baby Sprinkle and this was a ladies only event. So this meant that this little mommy was flying solo for the afternoon. This was the first time that I would be away from McKenzie during the day for more than two hours at the most. Since I'm still exclusively nursing her (besides solids) she was going to have to take a bottle so this was also a very big deal for her as well.
Now I really hope that I'm not offending anyone. Just because I have separation issues it does not mean that I look down on Mommy's that don't. Parenting is a wonderful thing and what works for you is what makes me happy. I get very frustrated by the passive aggressive comments I get by other Mom's. Or when I'm told that it's bad for my daughter's to not be in daycare, that they will lack socially. It's unfortunate how bad the Mommy Wars have gotten, instead of us supporting one another we are so quick to be defensive. It's sad that I even have to put a disclaimer with my post, when did life become such a comparison? Oh well, that's a conversation for another day.
So anyways...Saturday afternoon went off without a hitch. The girls stayed home with Daddy and had a blast as usual. McKenzie never even noticed I was gone.
I am not a mommy yet, but I have witnessed the 'mommy wars' between my friends who are mommy's. It is very disheartening and I hope that I learn early to not get involved in them, but to support others views as long as they are not harming the child.
ReplyDeleteI admire your love and your desire to be with your children all the time. I work for social services so I hear all the time how people are 'sick' of their children. So never feel guilty for feeling the way you do :)
I worked in Social Services field for 9 years before having kids. It's probably why I don't leave their side! I know here's out there.
DeleteOh, I admit that I am too attached to my daughter! She's in my mind all day and night. I am so absorbed in every little thing that goes on in her 6-year old life, that sometimes- or too often- I forget that I need a life of my own too.
ReplyDeleteI've have some separation issues too :) so you are certainly not alone. The older I've gotten, the more I realize how little time we have with our children as children, so I'm the same way, I want to be there for every possible minute of it.
ReplyDeleteI decided to leave the rat race so that I'll be able to be there for our 3 kids. It has been the right decision for us as now I'm able to be with them and nurture them while working from home.
ReplyDeleteI think it's great too that you want to be with your children. We really do have too many parents who don't.
ReplyDeleteMy girls are 16 & 22 & I still get separation anxiety, especially if they go out at night. As far as daycare, I worked full-time with my first daughter & she stayed in daycare from the very beginning. With my second, I got layed off after I went on maternity leave & I finally found work I could do at home & judging between my two girls, the one who didn't go to daycare faired much better than my oldest, so don't listen to those who say your daughter misses out socially. You can always find a Mother's Day Out program (which I did), which is a few hours one day a week.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from VoiceBoks!
Thanks everyone!
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same way with my two year old, and my six year old, I did not put her in daycare until four. So I made sure to work with her on the basics: letter, colors, etc, but I knew she lacked in socialization. For me, her safety was more important, and so many things are happening in the news these days. I may do things differently with my two year old, but I will be prayerful about when and where. Thanks for sharing!!!
ReplyDeleteI am rhonda (rh ramsey is my username) from voiceboks by the way, I love your blog. I can reeeally relate to what I read!
As I click publish, I am having minor issues, so I apologize if this comment is popping up twice ...
Thanks Rhonda, I'll look you up on Voiceboks!
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