Instict Parenting

So I read an article that a friend of mine had posted on Facebook about the "dangers" of letting your baby cry-it-out. They had all of these scientists and parenting experts talking about how you can forever screw up your kid and that they will grow up and be anti-social and riddled with anxiety and poor relationships.

Hmmmm....

Well, I guess Hudson is going to be a screwed up kid according to them! I prefer to be an "Instinctual Parent". I don't know if I just made that term up or if it exists somewhere out there in some parenting manual, but I think that God gave us mothers (and fathers) instincts for a reason: to use them. I drove myself to absolute insanity the first few weeks after Hudson was born, reading every article and book, trying every possible method of getting him to sleep, and all it did was make me feel like an absolute failure as a mother. I don't know who cried more those first few months...Hudson or me!! But luckily I had one of those no-nonsense moms who told me to suck it up and do whatever works! And so began my discovery and experimentation with "instinctual parenting".

I don't follow anyone's rules. Hudson and I are rebels. He sleeps on his tummy and loves it. Sometimes he sleeps through the night, and sometimes we wake up to eat and snuggle. Sometimes he falls asleep in my arms, and sometimes he will fuss and cry for 10 minutes before he nods off. Sometimes we let him cry for a while, and sometimes I can't help but go "rescue" him. I figure he was born into this family, so the greatest gift I can give him is to let him become accustomed to it as soon as possible :)

But in the end, he is always smiling ear-to-ear when I wake him up, he loves to laugh and play with everyone, he is so well behaved in public, and he eats and naps like a champ :) Take that Dr. Sears!!!

There are still times (like last night) where I wish there was someone sitting on my shoulder telling me what to do, but then I think of my mom saying, "Sarah, just do what you feel is right." It's nice having her there to call upon at 1 in the morning!