doubting your parenting abilities Archives

I Don’t Care If You Stare

Mar 27 2013

Pretending to be a puppy at the pet food store… The moment I stopped caring so much about how strangers perceive my child, is the moment I was set free. I can’t pinpoint when it happened exactly, but somewhere along the road from resentment to contentment, I rediscovered the joy of parenting my unique child. I don’t mind a curious glance my way if it’s brought on by my own behaviour. If I pull out some experimental moves on the dance floor and turn over on my ankle and squeal like a pig, (hypothetically of course) an eye-roll in my direction is justified. When strangers stare disapprovingly at my innocent child however, my mama lion mane stands on end. Though my daughter appears “normal,” her developmental delays cause some decidedly odd behaviours. Errands are always eventful. Common grocery store scenario: As she furiously stuffs checkout aisle candy into her pocket, her attention suddenly turns to the man behind us in line. While tugging relentlessly on his sleeve, she announces to all within earshot that he’s her daddy (I never met the guy, I swear!). When she tires of him, she darts behind the counter to give[…]

Dec 27 2012

Parenthood is filled with anxiety fueled I-don’t-know-what-the-hell-I’m-doing daily doses of doubt. None of us are truly prepared to be “in charge” of another human being. We’re all just kind of thrown into this But, when you ARE in charge of another person you need to learn to do just that – take charge. I have two children – our youngest has special needs. I had a normal pregnancy and birth experience and it wasn’t until our daughter stopped feeding and began to fall off the growth chart that we knew something was wrong. I took her to several doctors; all of them told me to stop worrying. One paediatrician, who I ran into several years later told me, “Women have been feeding their babies forever. You just need to relax.” That was helpful. He also advised that we just “wait and see.” Seriously? But he was the professional and presumably knew what he was talking about. So I doubted myself — but only for a moment. Instinct told me to take action. I packed a bag and took my child to Sick Kids Hospital Emergency. We were admitted and spent nearly a month in hospital receiving the care we should have had from the start. Taking a stand or questioning authority takes me way outside of my[…]

Tag - doubting your parenting abilities

I Don’t Care If You Stare

I’m A Parent, No Doubt