B+C+B+C+B+C: Out with the old, in with the new

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Out with the old, in with the new - BLANKIE!

From birth to age 5, Brianna had a strong attachment to her white fuzzy blanket. Well, it started off white and fuzzy. It got worse and worse as time went on. I would sneak it away to wash it whenever I could, but it got tattered and smelly and gray. But she loved it the same. So very much. Looking back, I realize her attachment to this object might have been a consequence of my early misguided efforts to parent differently than I do now (darn those babywise - babyunwise - books!!) If only I could go back and tell my first-time-mom-self what to stop worrying about. Like everything. And just enjoy my baby.
Anyway, so over these 5 yrs of blankie obsession, many attempts have been made to rid her of the gross looking blanket. Her grandma McKell offered many many times to take her shopping for a new one. Or sew her a new one. She tried to tell her how yucky the old blankie was and how pretty a new one would be. Brianna always stood her ground and defended HER blanket. And I had her back. I would've let her take that thing to college if it made it that long (the seams were coming apart). Again, probably because I felt guilty the attachment even happened. Ugh. Those baby books need a disclaimer addendum, "warning: you might look back at these unnatural approaches to sleeping and sorely regret being unresponsive to your child's needs."
SO - the shock of all shocks came when one day, a few months ago, Brianna announced she wanted to get a new blanket! I didn't believe her. The next day, again, she asked to go shopping for a new blankie. And again the next day.
I tested her, "okaaaay, but then we'd have to get rid of your old blankie."
She said that was fine.
Hmmm.
Part of me was elated - no more nasty blanket in my home!! No more trying to bleach it and seeing it drug everywhere and watching it get grosser.
Another part of me was crushed. My baby is growing up!!
So we went to the child clothing section at Smith's and found this cute fuzzy animal print blanket. $9.
Brianna helped me cut the old blanket into rags. She showed no remorse.
Sigh.
She's definitely not a baby anymore!

1 comment:

Melissa said...: I am definitely with you on this one (and I think almost every first time mom is too)! I wish so much I could go back and not stress. I do like having a routine, but will definitely start at like 6 months rather than newborn like I did with Jenna. I always think, why was I so crazy! Why didn't I just sleep with my baby on the beach all day long! Ha ha. You aren't alone :) But Brianna seems to be pretty great and JEnna too, so I think we did A-ok :)
MElissa; April 2, 2014 at 1:25 PM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Saturday, March 29, 2014

Out with the old, in with the new - BLANKIE!

1 comment:

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