All hail the baby whisperer

While Ross and I are anxiously anticipating this baby’s arrival, I think it’s safe to say that we’re completely oblivious as to how our lives are about to change. The late night feedings, the diaper changes, the instant responsibility of being a parent. I think that’s the part I’m having the hardest time imagining. Me, as a parent - scary! What do I know about disciplining a child?

All I can say is that I’m so thankful that Ross (the self proclaimed baby whisperer) will be there to help me out. He has so much more experience with kids than I do. Not to mention that his calm, laid back personality usually diffuses my high-stress, warp-speed approach to life.

My past interactions with kids have been rocky, at best. With Ross’s family alone, there was the time when I playfully tried to swipe a crisp twenty dollar bill from his 8 year old cousin’s hand only to have it rip down the middle. I’ll never forget the look on his little face. It was just a game…right? Not to Reece. The “look” was telling me that I’d just ripped his heart out and stomped it on the floor. Luckily Ross’s mom came to rescue, just as I was trying to convince Ross to turn over his 401K to the kid, she handed him a new $20. And while Beth was able to save the day, I will forever be known at the “money ripper”.

Then there was the time that I joined his cousin and niece outside for a game of catch. They were in the front yard tossing the football back and forth, so in my attempt to be “cool aunt Leia”, I asked to join. However, my first toss ended in tragedy when the ball smacked Ross’s niece right between the eyes. Ugh – I can’t win!

So while it’s already been established that I’m NOT an expert on kids, I’m happy to have Ross there to talk me off the ledge until I can find my own method of parenting. There’s no single way of being a good parent. I really believe that the key is to find that method that works best for you and go with it. The hard part will be tuning out the unsolicited advice of people who mean well, or the strangers in public who feel that they can teach you a thing or two. Ultimately, I know that I’ll need to believe in my abilities to be the best parent possible. After that the confidence will come.