”Hey, what’s wrong with him? Why is he crying?”
I looked up from my fussing son and into the curious face of my 4-year-old visitor. “I sure wish I knew,” I sighed. “The fact is, I just don’t know him all that well yet.”
My little friend looked at me and shook her head. After all, what kind of mom didn’t understand her kid? What she’ll learn someday, and what you may have discovered already, is that getting to know your child--his moods, his reactions, and why he cries--takes time.
And, oh, those first months were tough. Sleepless nights and jam-packed days left me wondering if all the time I spent caring for my child was worth it. Especially because sometimes, despite my best efforts at calming baby, he kept crying, kept waking up hungry, and hardly noticed I was there--in other words, he was a normal baby.
But then it happened. One day, while he lay in my lap after nursing he looked up into my eyes, smiled his first wobbly smile and seemed to say, “Hey there, mom. Wanna talk?”
That was the start of a beautiful love affair.
We spent the next months learning all about one another. I learned how to match my parenting to his own temperament--the special qualities that made him one-of-a-kind. I learned what he liked and disliked; what made him happy and what made him upset. (I didn’t learn what would make him sleep, but that’s a different story.)
As you head into these next months of your baby’s life, get ready for a grand adventure. Listen carefully, watch closely and you’ll uncover the greatest mystery of all time: what makes your child tick. Sure it’s tough, and it takes more time than you ever dreamed it would. But I promise, it’s worth the effort. Getting to know your child and then responding appropriately will make him feel more loved and secure. Better yet, it will make your role as parent a lot more fun.
Linda Wacyk lives, writes and parents in Grand Ledge, Michigan.