Mommy Moment...
I had heard of babies who had been left in their cribs so long that their skulls don’t grow correctly, and they end up with a flat area on their heads. It can even delay their development permanently if not discovered in time. It can be a problem in orphanages and even in some daycares. One such little guy came into our world when he was eight or nine months old. His sweet mommy worked outside of the home and his daycare provider apparently didn’t hold him or play with him. It was rather sad.
When I was asked to watch him, his sweet mom was at her whit’s end. She was more than a little frustrated at her previous daycare. He was way behind developmentally. He didn’t sit or roll over. He didn’t play with toys while on the floor and didn’t try to crawl. She felt guilty for not noticing sooner, and she was desperate to find someone who would love her little guy… truly love him and help him catch-up developmentally. She heard about me through a friend because we were a homeschooling family. I was home, love babies and her story broke my heart, so of course, I said yes to caring for him and helping her out.
She had been to a specialist and had specific games, activities, and schedules for me to follow. It was all pretty basic. I think that poor little guy felt like he had been taken to bootcamp rather than daycare. Every day… several times a day… we did all the therapy activities. They were pretty simple, just very specific. I would help my own kids get started with a subject for school, then I would spend 15 or 20 minutes doing the exercises with him…back to school… back to therapy. All day long I would work with that sweet little guy while the kids completed their assignments. By nap time, he was exhausted and slept extremely well. It was a great arrangement.
He came to us in the spring and by summer he was all caught up. He rolled over. He crawled. He played with the toys while lying on the floor. He was a happy little guy.
His time with us was so rewarding. He was so smart! He just needed someone to interact with him. I loved making a difference in his life and helping that sweet mom. She became a dear friend.
There were days when I was raising my own kids that I felt like what I did really wasn’t important. But that was a lie. Mommies are vital. The time we spend playing with our babies is important to their development.
When you have days that you feel that you don’t matter, days when you wish you could have an adult conversation instead of listening to the babbling of a little one, days that seem of no value, remember… you are raising the next generation. The time you put into them today playing with blocks or putting together puzzles will train their brains to process thoughts and situations later in life. Teaching them to speak will help them communicate and control their emotions. Singing the ABC’s will help them read and develop a desire to learn.
Your time is not wasted. Your days are not squandered. You are vital to your children. To the world you may be just a mommy, but to your kids you are the world.
Mommy, you got this!
