One of the may things I have learned about parenting is things won’t always go the way you plan they will.
The truth is, you can plan as much as you want for your little bundle of joy’s arrival, but you just don’t know what their personality will be like until they get here. Maybe they will hate being swaddled. Maybe they will yank off every bow or headband that you try to put on their head. Maybe they won’t be able to sleep anywhere besides laying on your chest for the first few months. Maybe you’ll have to listen to them cry for a while because they will be colicky….and sometimes there just isn’t much you can do about it……you get the picture.
You can plan all you want, but a big part of parenting is rolling with the punches and trusting God to handle the rest.
Ever since we found out we were pregnant we prayed for a happy, chill, easy-going, and social baby. We got 2 out of 4. lol.
**Side note…I am not complaining by any means. Abbie is SO happy and LOVES to be around new people. She is definitely not easy-going or chill lol…but that is okay. She is a force to be reckoned with. We have an active, curious, and adventurous little ball of fire… and I couldn’t be more proud of her. I am SO excited to see how God uses her and her spirited personality.
Now that Abbie is a full-blown toddler, she has the need to walk around more and gain independence. With this need, comes her objection to being held for longer than a couple minutes. Whether we are in a department store, at the farmers market, Â or chatting with friends after church…Abbie just has the desire to explore the world around her (which as parents, Justin and I encourage her to do). It is so hard finding the balance between letting her explore and needing to hold her and keep her from running around everywhere (since she is 15 months old, we are still working on obedience and listening to mommy and daddy…. a lifelong struggle for most haha).
Abbie is a “bolter”.
If we put her down to walk and we aren’t in the comfort of our own home, she will take off running like the wind.
All this to say…..
I bought this today:
Don’t judge.
Before I had children, I used to think that a leash safety harnesses meant that parents were treating their children like pets rather than human beings. The “attachment parenting” side of me thought that it meant parents were sending a message to their kids that they don’t trust them.
I had a strong negative feelings for leashes and the parents that used them.
But now I understand.
I understand that they can be helpful to parents with toddlers who are “bolters”. I understand that they can be helpful while toddlers and parents are working on the communication and understanding of requests such as “stay close to mommy” or “don’t run into the street”. I understand that some toddlers just won’t hold mommy’s hand while walking around the store, and that some children just can’t sit still in a shopping cart.
I understand the need for children to explore the world around them, the need for parents to let them, and the need for safety in the midst of that.
So don’t knock the mom who is walking around with her toddler wearing this backpack. You don’t know what other parents are going through and you don’t know what their childs’ needs are. I learned that the hard way.
**disclaimer: I’m not looking to start a debate. I am just stating what I feel. This is my blog, and I can if I want to 😉 I also understand that, like all baby gear, things can be misused. And I still have strong negative feelings for parents who do use these safety harnesses like leashes for their pets. That is misuse. And I do not condone it.
youngchewymom 