I have a secret, when I was little I wanted to be a Disney Princess (and still do). Probably Cinderella, or Belle. Apparently, (having read this only a few weeks ago) princesses at Disneyland are retired at 27 so ummmmm...
Last night I had a blast from the past, my old boss sent a message offering me my old job back. Basically he asked me how much would I cost to come back to my old role. I was extremely flattered, and although it wasn't working as Cinderella prancing around in a swishy ball gown all day, it was a brilliant job, I loved it. But I gave it all up when I became a mummy and didn't ever look back. Being a mummy is what I was made to do, even in those moments when all 3 children are throwing temper tantrums and the list of chores is never ending I'm grateful.
Fast forward 7 years and 3 (almost 4) children later and my mummy life has gone from surviving each day with the small chaos bringers, to having a job/role I never even knew existed, but one which I love with my whole heart (almost as much as I think I would have loved to have been Cinderella). I co-run Naturally Happy Families and each day I get the opportunity to help parents begin, continue or rediscover their baby wearing journey. I see parents putting on a sling and watch them smile at how wonderful it feels to hold their baby close and have cuddles. I get to meet parents who are struggling with baby wearing and give them a small tweak to their sling and remember why it was such a good idea in the first place.
I'm happy to answer Facebook messages, and emails asking for the next date for a sling meet, or where the best place to buy a sling is, or how someone can book a consultation to learn more about baby wearing. I love blogging and picture taking, and love, love, love the mania that is a sling meet because, the thing is, I truly think baby wearing is magical. There are countless attachment parenting books and studies done about the social, emotional and intellectual wellbeing of a child and how these areas of development are directly impacted on by the early attachment the child has with their primary "care-giver". Baby wearing is a string to the bow of attachment parenting, the crux of which is simply: love. The more we can show love, in as many different ways as possible to our children the better. (This is not to say that when I use a buggy - which sometimes I do, I'm not showing my child love, quite the contrary, I use a buggy at the moment especially when he is tired, we have to get the big ones to school and my pregnant body can't cope with dragging a 3 year old up the hill to school without us both having a melt down. So a buggy is a good and loving option for both of us!)
There are days too when baby wearing doesn't feel magical to me/you. But simply knowing that you are offering that closeness to your child, or having one in a sling so you have hands free to hold another child's hand is love. Practical parenting love. Awesome.
And so would I rather be a Disney Princess or a mummy getting to help other parents each day with their baby wearing experience? I'm going to stick with the magic that is the baby wearing world.
Last night I had a blast from the past, my old boss sent a message offering me my old job back. Basically he asked me how much would I cost to come back to my old role. I was extremely flattered, and although it wasn't working as Cinderella prancing around in a swishy ball gown all day, it was a brilliant job, I loved it. But I gave it all up when I became a mummy and didn't ever look back. Being a mummy is what I was made to do, even in those moments when all 3 children are throwing temper tantrums and the list of chores is never ending I'm grateful.
Fast forward 7 years and 3 (almost 4) children later and my mummy life has gone from surviving each day with the small chaos bringers, to having a job/role I never even knew existed, but one which I love with my whole heart (almost as much as I think I would have loved to have been Cinderella). I co-run Naturally Happy Families and each day I get the opportunity to help parents begin, continue or rediscover their baby wearing journey. I see parents putting on a sling and watch them smile at how wonderful it feels to hold their baby close and have cuddles. I get to meet parents who are struggling with baby wearing and give them a small tweak to their sling and remember why it was such a good idea in the first place.
I'm happy to answer Facebook messages, and emails asking for the next date for a sling meet, or where the best place to buy a sling is, or how someone can book a consultation to learn more about baby wearing. I love blogging and picture taking, and love, love, love the mania that is a sling meet because, the thing is, I truly think baby wearing is magical. There are countless attachment parenting books and studies done about the social, emotional and intellectual wellbeing of a child and how these areas of development are directly impacted on by the early attachment the child has with their primary "care-giver". Baby wearing is a string to the bow of attachment parenting, the crux of which is simply: love. The more we can show love, in as many different ways as possible to our children the better. (This is not to say that when I use a buggy - which sometimes I do, I'm not showing my child love, quite the contrary, I use a buggy at the moment especially when he is tired, we have to get the big ones to school and my pregnant body can't cope with dragging a 3 year old up the hill to school without us both having a melt down. So a buggy is a good and loving option for both of us!)
There are days too when baby wearing doesn't feel magical to me/you. But simply knowing that you are offering that closeness to your child, or having one in a sling so you have hands free to hold another child's hand is love. Practical parenting love. Awesome.
And so would I rather be a Disney Princess or a mummy getting to help other parents each day with their baby wearing experience? I'm going to stick with the magic that is the baby wearing world.
RSS Feed