Tuesday, August 09, 2005

Great expectations

Tell me what you think of this article.

It's about adding a second child to the family and while this particular article is pretty straightforward and calm, I'm having a bit of trouble grasping this concept. Why is it that there are so many articles and discussion board threads on the idea of having a second child? Since when has this become cause for dramatic psychological upheaval? What happened to make us think that having another child created a need for tense mental preparation?

A few generations ago no one broke out into a cold sweat at the addition of another child to a family. It was just a matter of course. I'm especially baffled at the hand-wringing angst that supposedly overcomes modern moms.

How will I find time for the older child? Time for what? Are you your child's primary playmate? Does she require your devoted attention every waking second? If so then there's a problem. A child should be her own person at least part of the day, able to entertain herself for short streches (depending on her age). A newborn spends the majority of the day sleeping. what's the problem? How does a coach find time for his team members? How does a teacher find time for her students? Answer: they simply do. Being right on top of a child 24/7 is NOT a requirement for raising sane and sensible kids.

How will I prepare the older child for a new sibling? Does he need to be prepared any more than the standard answering of his questions and matter-of-fact explainations of what's going to happen? It's not an impending natural disaster or alien invasion. It's just a sibling. I've
already blogged on the idea of feverishly handing out gifts. That smacks of guilty conscience to me as I've already said. Sort of a: "please, please don't be mad at mommy for having another baby!" Why can't the event be treated as just something that happens? "Brysin, you're going to be a big brother! I know you'll do a great job of sharing and co-operating!"

I think that parents who whip themselves into a frenzy over every little thing are doing a disservice to their children. Ever seen the mom in the pediatrician's office sitting there rigidly, fighting back tears, in anticipation of her baby getting a shot? She's devistated that her baby will have to suffer pain and she starts up the instant the needle comes out: "Oh baby it'll be ok, mommy's right here, just close your eyes and don't look at the nasty needle, waaaaaahhh!" She's frightening her child and possibly causing a life-long irrational fear of needles. Do you think all these grown people who are 'deathly afraid of shots' were born that way? NO! They sat on their mother's laps and watched mom tense up and wring her hands and cry when they got a shot.

I feel like these people who are making a huge drama out of adding another child to their family are doing the same thing.

A lot of life is a matter of expectation. If Billy really thinks he won't make the football team then he's shooting himself in the foot. He probably won't make it. If you really don't think that your boss is going to give you that pay rise then he probably won't. He'll read the resignation in your attitude and voice ... even in your posture.

Folks very often ask me why my Brood is so well behaved in stores and restaurants (and waiting rooms and doctor's offices). I reply because I expect them to be. I don't expect my kids to (or allow them to) run or scream in stores or drag things off shelves any more than I expect them to have a panic attack in the doctor's office. I certainly don't enjoy seeing my babies get those 3 or 4 big needles jabbed into their little legs any more than any mother when shot time comes. It makes me curl up inside. But I act calm and matter-of-fact and my children have no fear of the doctor's office and they recover with minimum fuss. I've seen mother child pairs weep dramatically all the way out the door after a single vaccination - not to mention the miniature hoodlums I've seen in stores.

I know some pretty cool, sane, and sensible moms from off of my various baby boards (and other blogs) and I'm not so sure all of this hysterical panic is as prevelant as some folks - and the media - make it out to be. I think us moms are capapable of making this transition with aplomb. Give us some credit!

(Edited to add: The second link has now been fixed. Sorry about that, ladies, and thank you Linda for giving me the head's up!)

Bookmark and Share
posted by MrsEvilGenius @ 12:03 pm   6 comments

6 Comments:

At 3:20 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I think there are people who thrive on drama. They make everything as dramatic and life-and-death as possible. "You are going to get SHOTS!" or "We are having a SECOND CHILD!" or "The store is out of CHOCOLATE ICE CREAM!" Wait, that last one is a matter of life-and-death.

Hey, the link to your post about gifts is the same as the MSN article. Is that intentional? I'm curious about your thoughts on gifts and whether I agree or disagree with them.

Linda
http://indigogirl.typepad.com

P.S. Brysin. Nice.

 
At 4:24 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I certainly agree and have to say "AMEN!" to this blog. You hit the nail on the head, and I am afraid I might actually have done some of those things you mentioned without knowing it. Gives me something to think about for the next 10 weeks...

 
At 1:32 pm, Blogger Amyesq said...

Yup. Exactly. My sage friend Christina always said that one thing she would never do is apologize to her kid for giving them a sibling. I agree.

 
At 5:27 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I certainly don't remember going through throes of panic at the thought of my second child. Now a third...that would be a different story altogether but for totally different reasons "does this mean I have to fess up to my on-the-side-boyfriend since my dh had a vas?" lol. For some reason a lot of parents today seem to think that every little thing is going to damage their poor little dears psyche beyond repair. I was just reading an article about a boy who started working for 10cents an hour and one meal a day at the age of 11 (back in 1933). His big ambition was to work hard and get changed to the evening shift to take advantage of the larger meal the factory served at dinnertime. Just imagine, that child grew up with a strong work ethic and became a loving and successful adult (not that I want my child to be working full-time in a cannery at that age, but you get the point). Most 11yos I know shrink away at being offered only $10 to mow the neighbors yard @@. Totally off on a tangent here, but we need to learn to lighten up and not panic about how every thing that junior does is going to send him straight into a cult as a teenager.

 
At 11:38 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was one of seven children - my parents took us out to restaurants as a group, and you better believe we were well-behaved, again because we were expected to, and also because if we didn't, we were left behind for the next outing! I don't remember any drama or handwringing about the first day of school, dr. visits, etc. - it was just simply a part of life.

 
At 10:15 am, Anonymous Anonymous said...

Blue! How have I not found your blog before this?! I am so glad I have now! As the youngest of 11..(yes, we're Cathol*ic) I agree with you completely- I have met some Moms that LOVE to get worked up and in turn can't understand why their kids behavior is so rotten. I admit- lately, we have had our moments but usually, all is well.
Hope you have a good day!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home