so last night i caught up on some of my parenting magazine subscriptions [parents magazine is my faaavorite, but i mysteriously also receive a few other freebie-type ones too] and i'm still trying to decide if that was a mistake. sure, i compared notes on baby milestones and checked out some cool unneeded product placements, but i also went to bed feeling a little overwhelmed.
modern life is super great. i love the internet [though my blog-stalking consumption has definitely gone down since having a kid], i think it's awesome i don't have to spend all day washing clothes by hand, and indoor plumbing is fantastic. my grandparents are currently writing their autobiographies [i edit a few chapters at a time for them] -- and to think that at one point in their lifetime there was no such thing as four wheel drive or air conditioning or computers is a jarring realization. in fact, b and i just joined the technological world and got droids a few weeks ago. [i barely know how to use it, don't ask.]
BUT. with all this modern-ness comes a lot of other stuff. all the things i'm "supposed" to do as a mom makes my head hurt.
recycle!
avoid bad plastics!
buy organic and sustainably sourced food!
don't use harmful chemical cleaning supplies!
but make sure you kill all those germs anyway or your baby will get infected and die!
make sure your water is clean!
but don't drink it from plastic bottles!
use cloth diapers that require tons of water to clean OR use disposable diapers and add to the landfills!
find a good school so your kid can get ahead / get the educational support he needs!
don't microwave tupperware! actually don't microwave at all!
immunize your kids! actually, wait, DON'T immunize them!
turn them into little geniuses by letting them play educational games on your ipad, but not for too long or they'll become couch potatoes!
don't buy from china!
don't buy recalled products!
put him in a car seat till he's 10!
avoid artificial dyes!
no sugar cereals!
ughh. you get the idea. there's just SO much to think about, raising a kid in 2011. not to mention the nonstop natural disasters that keep happening all over the world which constantly unnerve me. add to all this the personal morals that b and i have decided to uphold and teach in our family, most of which are toootally unheard of in typical liberal american society, and let's just say i have my work cut out for me. i'm just really grateful that i have at least ONE anchor in my life, which in my case comes through my religious beliefs, that help me keep my head on straight and know what i need to focus on. now if you'll excuse me, i need to go compost my trash and install solar panels on my roof. [kidding, kidding.] [and if you do those things, more power to you.]
7 comments:
A-Men to that post!
So true! and I hate the contradictory messages with things like immunizations and stuff. Sometimes I tell mike that we should just stop after one kid because this world is TOO crazy. We have a lot of pressure on us as moms! I feel like I'm behind since I haven't taught Colton all of his letters and numbers...whatever happened to just playing and imagining?
haha I can only imagine! its hard enough making those decisions and doing those things for yourself let alone another little person!
well you already know I love Jack's hair. So I won't even go there :)
I definitely feel the pressure. And I always have to remind myself that my mom raised 10 kids without any of the modern tech we have now and we all turned out fine so it will all work out I'm sure :)
Looking at the previous post, I just have to say that Jack has the cutest facial expressions. ever. Seriously, cute kid!!! And I totally agree with this post, although I think the more time that goes on the more I have made a conscious effort to unplug myself from it all. It's easy to freak out when any milestone is delayed, (been there done that), but life is so much easier when I just focus on being a happy mom who loves my kiddo, and doing what is intuitive. I think the best advantage I can give my child in life is just loving them and giving them my time and attention. Anyway, of course I can relate to what you wrote, and I'm glad to know that I am not the only one!
Isn't life grand? :)
Hahaha! I know what you mean. I used to care deeply about most of the items on that list, but... well... it was a bit much to keep up with, and now I just pride myself on giving him Cinnamon Toast Crunch for breakfast instead of Lucky Charms. (Hahaha... for some reason, I feel like marshmallows are still on my "I-can-do-better" list.)
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