One mom said to me recently: “It’s not that you know more as your child gets older, it’s that you become more okay with the fact that you don’t know.” C’mon people: how brilliant and true is that?!
I mean, when we brought our little bundle home, I couldn’t have felt more that the hospital made a horrible mistake by forgetting to include our “How To” manual. Really. I knew I didn’t know what I was doing, and I was far from feeling fine about that fact. Fast-forward to almost a year later, and though I certainly am far from having it all figured out, I’m much more settled in knowing I don’t have it all figured out. I know the pediatrician is available until seven pm, and past that time it is straight to the ER. I know if she stops eating, I should spoon-feed her Pedialyte. And I know that too much cheese means we will be making a stop on the way home from Wiggles for prune juice. That’s about it. Why? Because this is my first go-around as a parent. And as she gets older, yes, I have a wider knowledge base because we have been through more experiences. BUT, those experiences continue to change and often don’t repeat themselves, so in some ways it’s like starting from scratch every single time.
The point is, no matter how “prepared” you are as a parent, something is going to throw you for a loop (like, you know, only about one MILLION times over your kid’s life...), but the more settled you feel in knowing you will not always have the answer, the better off you will be. Oh, and wine. Wine always helps.
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