High Anxiety
Anxiety: A state of apprehension, uncertainty, and fear resulting from the anticipation of a realistic or fantasized threatening event or situation, often impairing physical and psychological functioning.
When I was younger I suffered from "croup". It can be a pretty nasty disease as it is characterized by high fevers, difficulty breathing, and lots of coughing. Apparently, I had a pretty bad case of it when I was two years old, as I almost died. Yours truly was the kind recipient of the "code blue" treatment.
My mother, clearly, does not remember those times with any fondness. Doctors were slower to diagnose and to treat. My fever was "handled" by plunging me into an ice bath (maybe that's why, to this day, I don't like to bathe :> ). At one point I stopped breathing. I also spent a week in an oxygen tent (at the time this was not desired, but I hear for a fee I can do this again in California).
So, I grew up with a mother who had faced the very, very real possibility of losing me. If my mother didn't have anxiety before I was born, she certainly had it now. I think Saddam Hussein had less security than I growing up. We were cautious of every cough. My somewhat weakened bronchial system saw me with strep throat and bronchitis at least once a year and I took penicillian the way others took PEZ.
Some of this advanced attention, of course, has rubbed off on me, just as it will rub off on Lentilina. Sweet, poor lentilina who will have the surgically emedded GPS receiver, the 4pm curfew, and will sleep duck-taped to the crib for the first 6 years of her life.
I simple know of no other way to parent.
So, as I was browsing through the Babies-R-Us website, looking at what items I might want to register for, I was pleased to see a section where parents took pictures of their children using said products so that prospetive buyers could "see them in action". The first picture I found was this one:
Can anyone tell me why this new-parent-to-be blogger was mortified by this photo?? No doubt the parents who took this picture are good parents. No doubt the baby has grown up these past few years healthy and happy. No doubt that this photo has given me shivers from a parenting point of view.
Give up? One should not, I imagine, thoroughly wet their baby and then stick them 6 inches away from a live, unprotected electrical outlet built into a mirror (which is a cool fun thing for kids to want to touch).
Shiver me timbers.
High Anxiety.... you win!
-Ed
When I was younger I suffered from "croup". It can be a pretty nasty disease as it is characterized by high fevers, difficulty breathing, and lots of coughing. Apparently, I had a pretty bad case of it when I was two years old, as I almost died. Yours truly was the kind recipient of the "code blue" treatment.
My mother, clearly, does not remember those times with any fondness. Doctors were slower to diagnose and to treat. My fever was "handled" by plunging me into an ice bath (maybe that's why, to this day, I don't like to bathe :> ). At one point I stopped breathing. I also spent a week in an oxygen tent (at the time this was not desired, but I hear for a fee I can do this again in California).
So, I grew up with a mother who had faced the very, very real possibility of losing me. If my mother didn't have anxiety before I was born, she certainly had it now. I think Saddam Hussein had less security than I growing up. We were cautious of every cough. My somewhat weakened bronchial system saw me with strep throat and bronchitis at least once a year and I took penicillian the way others took PEZ.
Some of this advanced attention, of course, has rubbed off on me, just as it will rub off on Lentilina. Sweet, poor lentilina who will have the surgically emedded GPS receiver, the 4pm curfew, and will sleep duck-taped to the crib for the first 6 years of her life.
I simple know of no other way to parent.
So, as I was browsing through the Babies-R-Us website, looking at what items I might want to register for, I was pleased to see a section where parents took pictures of their children using said products so that prospetive buyers could "see them in action". The first picture I found was this one:
Can anyone tell me why this new-parent-to-be blogger was mortified by this photo?? No doubt the parents who took this picture are good parents. No doubt the baby has grown up these past few years healthy and happy. No doubt that this photo has given me shivers from a parenting point of view.
Give up? One should not, I imagine, thoroughly wet their baby and then stick them 6 inches away from a live, unprotected electrical outlet built into a mirror (which is a cool fun thing for kids to want to touch).
Shiver me timbers.
High Anxiety.... you win!
-Ed
posted by Ed at 6:51 PM
2 Comments:
And here I thought you were referring to the class movie by Mel Brooks. Damn. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076141/)
As a parent of a darling lil 3 year old girl (who won't be allowed to date until she's 50 according to Daddy), you'll always feel some sort of anxiety.
The good news -- you'll eventually find a balance. It helps me to remember that I want this wonderful little being to grow up to be independent in her own right. Which, *sigh*, means a certain letting go to some extent.
There are times at night when I watch her sleeping, take in her scent (that's now one of a toddler as opposed to a baby, and soon, she'll be a kid... ), and just bask in the moment. It helps. Staying present is all we really can do.
Hey, at least I can give you fair warnings as Pook will hit the teens before Lentilina. :)
Right now, we're dealing with the wonderful stage of independence, aka "No, I don't want to...". And then today, I heard her in the other room, actually say, "Oh Cwap!" Best thing you can do, is provide controlled choices. At least that's what the books tell you.
Yeah, right. They need to meet my child, who has very distinct views about that. :)
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