Earlier this evening, my toddler had climbed on the kitchen table. He stood atop that bar height table and started dancing his butt off. You see, we just opened a new package of big boy underpants (those boxer brief training undies) and he was excited.
Of course, I turn around from the sink, see him up there and ask him to get down. He says okay, asks me to make him popcorn and starts climbing down. The bar stool slips away from him as he is coming down and he tumbles, knocking his head on the side of the table as he fell.
Welcome Baby's First Goose Egg onto the scene.
He also breaks a tooth and busts his lower lip. His upper lip was already fat from falling at daycare in the kitchen center the day before. So with blood and swelling of lip and head, he's quite a sight.
He screams and cries and pees on both of us because pee soaked toddler cuddles are basically 3 year old life in a nutshell. After we get some ice on that goose egg and clean up the bloody lip and I'm satisfied that he is not vomiting, his goose egg is rock hard rather than squishy and he's been snacking and not vomiting, I grab some pictures of this thing and send them to one of my oldest girlfriends.
Her response??? She asked me what happened and followed my explanation message with this: "YOU'RE DOING A GOOD JOB."
Do you ever feel worse about parenting than when your kid is hurt? I don't think so.
And yes, I needed validation that this stuff happens to other moms and that my judgement and assessment that he is fine is fine.
But what I didn't know to ask for and what I would never express that I needed was to be reminded that I am a good mom and I'm doing a good job.
Let's remember that. Let's be sure that we remind each other we are good moms, good parents. Let's do that first before we offer our advice. Before we say this has also happened to us. Before we try to fix someone else's situation. Let's remember to uplift and empower our friends and fellow parents in the moments that create the most doubt.
Let's all be Beckie.
Bình luận