Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Who Knew 'Independent Play' Was a 4-Letter Word?

One of my issues when I had post-partum anxiety after Trent was born, was that I felt like I wasn't doing enough for him. It sounds crazy now and was crazy then, but it's what was going through my brain. He was 2 weeks old, snoozing/eating/pooping/occasionally awake, and I was worried I wasn't keeping him entertained or showing him enough affection.

I sometimes still have those moments where I worry I'm not doing enough.  Trent is finally really seeming to enjoy independent play. Not for hours on end but for 20-30 minutes, he is content to drive his trucks or trains around the house or look at books or 'cook' (you should try his birthday soup, it's divine)...you get the picture. It's so nice because I can SEE that he's having fun, and I can fold a load of laundry, make dinner (haha...like that happens in our house), or prep for the next day.

But those old doubts creep back in. That if I'm not giving him 100% of my attention all the time, I'm not doing enough. I know it's not rational, and luckily, I'm not in the throes of post-partum again, so it's easy to knock those doubts out quickly and enjoy the freedom to just get sh*t done. I just wish I could get those doubts to go away. I guess at the end of the day Mommy Guilt is always there about something.

Does anyone else ever feel this way?

Naked train time.  Who wouldn't be happy?


2 comments:

the blogivers said...

Yes, I definitely feel that way sometimes... but I have learned that teaching Davis to play independently is crucial for my sanity! So I am usually able to push the guilt away by telling myself it's beneficial for both of us when I'm not losing my #$%^ :)

Anonymous said...

Does it make me a bad mom that I rarely feel this way? HAHA. I did have guilt when Abigail was little and I was constantly pluggin him in front of the TV during multiple nursing sessions a day, but I got over that guilt as well - it is called survival. When Abigail naps in the morning and Wyatt is happily playing trains, it is very tempting to get stuff done around the house, but I do go interrupt him for one-on-one time as I know it is the best time for it.