...my pediatrician.
Truman went in for his 18-month well baby appointment today, and for some reason I was a mess - have been for two days. Bawled my eyes out last night feeling like I'm not a good mother. I'm overly bothered by the fact that Truman still has a bottle, like it reflects poorly on me and is going to cause some kind of permanent damage. (How? I have no idea, but these are the worries.) Also, he rarely sleeps through the night, which not only makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong but also means I see his behavior through a sleep-deprived fog that tends to induce crying.
Enter pediatrician: I start to lay out my laundry list of apparent blunders - my kid still has a bottle, he wakes up in the night, he HATES having his teeth brushed so I hate to (and sometimes just plain don't) do it...and the doctor smiles at me. "It's not critical to take the bottle away all at once or right away," he says. "Lots of kids wake up once in the night for a quick feeding until they're even two years old," he says. "Let him brush his own teeth, and run a washcloth around his mouth while he's in the tub. He doesn't need any more than that, and there's no need to make both of you crazy and hate teeth-brushing."
Turns out my doctor has four kids. I could kiss him.
And the kicker: "He's a neurologically normal child with a good growth rate; he's healthy and happy and you're doing fine. You're both right on track." This is all I ever really want to hear, right? That, or maybe "Your kid is really advanced. You must be the best mother in the world." But I'm still realistic, and I just like to know I'm not way off the mark.
Sometimes I want to write myself a letter from forty years from now. I'd tell myself that my many children turned out wonderfully, well-adjusted and with the need for only minimal therapy. I'd remind myself not to worry so much, that worrying about what might be coming means you're not enjoying what is. I'd tell myself that everything in my life - from my husband's career to the spacing of my children to being able to buy a house - has worked out even better than I could have hoped for. I'd say that I can look back and see God's guiding hand in every day of my life. And I'd know that Truman is finally sleeping through the night!
17 comments:
You are beautiful. Paragraphs like your last one here make me miss you and your faithful philosophy on life so much. I could really use a Brittany Fix right about now. And I'm sad that I haven't met Truman. can we reunite sometime?
Yay for realistic, practical, normal, understanding, encouraging pediatricians. And yay for you. And yay for Truman. Keep up the good work.
Sounds like you just wrote yourself a letter! Do me a favor and add a "P.S. - Vern thinks you're an awesome mom and she knows everything."
You're a great mom! I do understand where you're coming from with the worry about not sleeping through the night. Heck, Seth woke up twice last night (I cursed myself with that blog post about him sleeping through the night)and he'll be 4 years old in 2 months.
yay for being on track! what an awesome pediatrician. :) you're doing great!
Why is it so comforting to have a professional tell us that we're okay as moms? I want to kiss my pediatrician too when he tells me I'm doing a good job with the twins. For some reason his opinion means more than anyone else who trys to tell me I'm doing a fine job.
I'm sure any mom who had grown children would tell you not to worry about the little things so much. Kids just have a way of turning out despite everything we do or don't do to them.
I really liked this post Brittany!
I don't know if I want to kiss the pediatrician myself, or slug hum in the face.
haha. you've got my sentiments about kissing the pediatrician right. haha. kissing him isn't the first thing that would come to my mind,.. but then I don't have kids yet,... but I'd probably want to leave immediately on a good note and run home and tell Dan what a great mom I was. hahaha. maybe i'll feel differently when I have kids and kissing will come to mind. hope not.
My three year old STILL won't brush his own teeth, although he will let us do it now. Parker is a no go, he just wants to "rinse his mouth out" aka spit water into the sink. You're a great mom and doing an awesome job!
I wouldn't worry, Brittany. And I wouldn't kiss him or he won't have any teeth to brush when Matt gets through with him.
I would love to see Matt deck the pediatrician, so could you kiss him just for kicks? And could there somehow be a video camera involved?
Andrew still won't brush his own teeth and Addie won't let me brush hers and a cousin of mine recently admitted that no one in their family ever brushed her teeth when they were growing up(and our grandpa was a dentist.)
I have flossed every night for the last 2 weeks and I can't remember the last time before that...yup its disgusting but I hate it! And I only need minimal therapy (wait, define "minimal")! You know I think you are an amazing mom...just give yourself a little credit already!
Great post, I loved it. You are a great mom and I wish I was more like you. I have a coworker that told me "when I feel like a bad mom, I think about my neighbor who sends her kid to day care with six ounces of mountain dew in his bottle." Sometimes that thought cheers me right up!
You're a rockin' awesome mom! I'm glad your pediatrician realizes it! I want to see some Truman pics! Miss that kiddo!
i'll say it.
you are a SUPER mom.
seriously.
just the fact that you care and worry means your little truman is going to be just fine.
i cried at the doctors office today when i took jonas in. it happens. i wanted to know if my kids being sick all winter and jonas not sleeping through night were both all my fault and if it makes me a terrible mother. whew. good to get that off my chest. :)
yes, now quit worrying and enjoy things, and i'll read your post again and try to do the same. :)
love you dear.
I love that post.
Kay sis, with my first, I dreaded going to the pediatrician for the same reasons. She shouldn't have a bottle...what! she's not sleeping through the night? Now with number six...I just lie. Sure she's totally sleeping fine...no problems here..lie..lie..lie.
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