When I had my son, a year and a half ago, I got asked waaaaay too many times if I was “Baby Wise”.
If you are not “Baby Wise” it becomes especially annoying to be asked about it ALL the time.
And so, one day, I rather curtly replied…”No! I am MOMMY WISE!”
After all—
When my children are hungry—I feed them. Heck, when I’m hungry, food is ALL I can think about and I want to eat.
When my baby is tired—I let him sleep. Heck. Have you TRIED pacifying a sleepy baby? If you DON’T let them sleep, you BOTH become tired.
Can you tell with all of my capital letters that I was:
1. Annoyed about all of the questions
2. Passionate about NOT being Baby Wise
???
3. I have the BEST sleepers and eaters in the world === and I have absolutely NO schedule except THEIR schedule:
Hungry and Crying: They eat.
Tired and Fussy: They sleep.
Happy and Alert: They get put in the bouncy or the rocking cradle or the swing.
Some days are great.
Some days are not.
Each day I cherish the fact that God gave me my baby. For one day my precious baby will grow too soon. One day my precious baby will no longer nurse. And one day my precious baby will not want to be held by me.
Sigh. That day will never come, will it?!
So, again, the answer is NO. I am not Baby Wise. I am Mommy Wise. So wise that I have raised my oldest to not become a thief???!!!
Perhaps I am not so wise after all.
And here is how the multiple thievery stories go…
So, we have taught our daughter about giving. How great it is to give. How it is SO much better than receiving. And SAVING YOUR MONEY—It’s the best idea EVER!
Anyhow—we have given our daughter all of this knowledge about Giving to God, Saving for the Future, and Putting a little aside for the Toy Store Now. On top of that, she has made a piggy bank for the New Life Center (our 24-hour home for formerly homeless, addicts, and released prisoners). She is so responsible and GIVING with her money.
So responsible and giving until she does it…
Comes down the stairs with a HUGE wallet stuffed with coins of every shape and size. A bulging wallet. A wallet that screams, “There is LOTS of money in here!”
“Momma, can we go to the toy store?”
Blank stare. We were just at the toy store where she spent EVERY toy-store dime (or grosz since we are in Poland). I know that the bulging coin purse did not come from her Toy Store piggy bank…
“Momma! Toy store?!”
“Ummm…Ada girl. Where did you get all of that money?”
“My piggy bank!” Proudly, of course, stated.
“Adelyne. You don’t have any money in your Toy Store piggy bank.”
“I know. So I took it from the Bank and Church.”
Blank stare…
“Ummm…Ada girl. Did you also take it from the jar for the homeless?”
“No. I would have, but I couldn’t find that jar,” innocent eyes and honestly proclaimed.
Slap my head and call me Shameful Momma. My 6-year-old has confessed to stealing from the “Bank” the “Church” and she would have stolen from the homeless jar HAD she been able to find it.
Sigh.
And “The Talk” ensues…
It is decided by her, by the way, that she cannot trust herself with the money, Daddy will hold on to the money she is to give the church. The Bank money goes back in that piggy bank. And the New Life Center money jar will stay in Mommy’s room where she can come and put money not withdraw money. Lol?!
This is the end of her attempted thievery woes, right?
Nope!
Now we are in the States. My daughter knows that her cousin Emily has a jar of money just sitting pretty in her teenage room.
Money, money, money, mo-ney! Mo-ney! (Read by singing the “Money” tune)
And so, not wanting to be the thief—but not having any problem being the mastermind—she tries to convince her cousin Joshua to go into his sister’s room, find the jar of money, and TAKE IT!
Bang my head upon the wall and call me “Failure”?!
Thankfully, my sister HAS raised proper children. And, therefore, her son did not steal from his sister. And my daughter did not go to prison for “Masterminding Theft from Family Members and Other Such Stuff”. Although, I feel like locking her up sometimes 😉
Yes…More talking ensues about how we do not take what is not ours.
But the grocery store—that belongs to EVERYONE, right?
Shameful Incident Number 3…
Adelyne is now at the grocery store with Daddy and she really wants to buy a $30 Barbie doll with her money that she has saved by selling her chickens’ eggs.
Now. If her money is hers, we generally let her spend it how she delights—but, she did not have her money with her on this day. So Daddy told her “No.”
Gulp. How dare we tell a child “No.”
I guess this is what she thought. So, because she was mad at Daddy for the big “N-O” word, she took a nearby Mood Ring. Took it. Hid it. Hid it, that is, until Daddy found it.
Confession. Tears. And trouble. Loads of it.
Back to the store we go. She has to apologize to the General Manager. She has to pay for the ring. She had to donate the same amount as the ring to charity. She had to donate the “once stolen but now purchased ring” to a local clothing closet.
Lions and Tigers and Thieves—oh my!
Friends, I must admit—I may be WAY better at the baby thing than I am at the older kid thing. But, regardless, I am sooo glad that I am saved by grace—and my daughter too.
Wisdom…
Maybe the only “Mommy Wise” wisdom I have when it comes to parenting is in regards to feeding and sleeping?!
And like Looney Tunes always says in the end, “That’s all, folks!”
***
Update: I found this article on crying and babies—and I really liked the 12 things that your baby has to say (when crying). Hope you enjoy it too! Most of all, be encouraged to know that you’re doing your best!
http://www.ourmuddyboots.com/12-things-your-crying-baby-wants-you-to-know/
And 2 Makes Crazy 