Are you a harried mother who
constantly wonders if she's spending enough time with her baby? Place
those guilt pangs on hold and read on.
All mothers feel
guilty. Guilty for spending too little time with the children, guilty
if they pick them up every time they cry just to keep them quiet,
guilty for not picking them up every time they cry, guilty for working,
guilty for not working, guilty every time their child falls sick… and
so on.
If you are a working mom, accept that there are times you will
miss your baby. You will certainly feel guilty about being away from
her for so long. If you have opted to work, there is really nothing you
can do about these feelings, except understand that it's all part of
the package. You feel guilty for not being around, so make up for it by
spending enough time with your baby when you are home. Sit with her,
hold her, talk to her and play with her for some time everyday.
Photos
Do you have a camera on your cell phone? If you do, take a
photograph of your baby regularly, and always have some new, current
photos of her on your cell. The next time you miss your baby, are
feeling drained, stressed or just blue, take a look at all those
photographs and you'll feel cheered up almost instantly. It really does
work!
Chores
Take your baby with you wherever possible. You naturally may
not be able to take her with you to office - although some offices may
permit you to do so - but be sure you return home immediately after
office. Then if you have any chores you need to do, like shopping for
groceries or paying off some bills, take your baby with you. If you
finish off all chores on your way back from work, not only will you
reach home that much later and will have missed out on time you could
have spent with your baby, but you may be too exhausted to really spend
quality time with her.
Maid
Some mothers have a live-in maid to help out with the baby.
Although some people feel having a maid reduces mother-baby bonding,
this is not necessarily true. Different things work for different
people, and its up to how you choose to spend time with your baby.
Don't let anyone make you feel guilty for hiring a maid. Be thankful
that the maid helps you relax so you are refreshed enough to play with
your baby, spend quality time with her and enjoy her.
Cuddling
Do you feel guilty if you ignore your baby's pleas to be held?
Enjoy this attention for as long as it lasts for needless you say, your
teenager is not going to be running behind you, looking at you with
adoring, worshiping eyes. Be there for your baby, indulge her with lots
of hugs and kisses, talk to her, play with her, cuddle and comfort her.
"Imagine my surprise when someone stopped me from kissing my baby. She
said I would give him pimples!" says Rita, mother of 2-year-old Chirag.
Your child will certainly not get pimples if you kiss him, and if he
does have excessively sensitive skin which tends to break out, any
pimples a child gets because of too much mummy-love are worth it!