Mom Guilt – Why it’s a Good Thing

I was surfing baby center trying to find fun activity suggestions for my 3-month old when I caught the title of an article called, “Why Mom Guilt is  Good.” At about that time I was feeling pretty guilty myself. I had played with Elle on the play mat, in her bouncy seat, in her bebe pod, held her for a while, and she had started to get a little fussy so I decided to put her in her swing. Mind you, she had a little nap in her swing this morning so I felt a little guilty putting her back in there. Shouldn’t I be holding her and talking to her? She always smiles when I talk to her. But wouldn’t she be crying if she didn’t want to go in her swing?

I feel like a bad mommy when I’m not entertaining her! I know I shouldn’t, but I do. It’s been hard juggling launching a company while being a new mom and caring for a newborn. I’m still trying to find some balance. For example, in the morning when she wakes up, I try to just check the site real quick to make sure nothing is amiss then I try to have just girls ‘time where I talk to her while I make coffee and have breakfast. Then we play a while and then I have to get hopping on the Web site, but I can feel her eyes staring at me saying, “Mommy, play with me!” “What is more interesting than me?”

I love my daughter more than words can describe – I just want her to know it. The article I reference at the top helped me realize that mommy guilt isn’t such a bad thing. It makes up put away our iPhones and laptops for play time. It makes us spend all day talking to an infant who can’t talk back. It makes us excited to see their little cheeks even at 4 a.m. when you went to bed at Midnight after a night of working.

I thought it was a great article to share with all of you amazing parents. Enjoy!

Comments

[airelj]

I've loved Teressa Strasser since she was on the Adam Carolla radio. She's an amazing writer! My wife just finished reading her book and she couldn't believe how much she related to Teressa's neuroses as a mommy to be.

[Mary]

So did you find some things to do with your three month old? I'm struggling with the same problem with my two month old. I just bought some more toys online because I can tell she is so bored!

[Natali]

I feel the same way all the time but then I have to look at the flip side: What would this boy be like if I played with him/held him 24/7? Spoiled and addicted to constant stimulation. Thankfully some of the Baby Center emails stress the importance of babies learning to entertain themselves so it can give us a little break.

I think an equally interesting question is how working at home is just as stressful as working away from home because you feel constantly stretched whereas at an office, you can just focus on work and get it done until you go home. Maybe we should address that in another blog.

Thanks for sharing this, Jen! I always love to hear that other people feel similarly to me!