Question: I know that it’s normal to have the “baby blues” right after you have a baby, but my son is six weeks old. I thought everything would be wonderful by now and I would be so in love with my baby. I thought mothering would come easily. It’s not that way at all! I can’t sleep, even when he’s sleeping. I feel hollow inside, like the real me is gone. Sometimes I cry for hours; other times, I feel angry enough to explode. Life feels like an endless amusement park ride, and sometimes I just want to get off. Why am I such a terrible mother?
There’s nothing more exciting than finding out that you are expecting, again. Thoughts of tiny toes and sweet baby breath flood your mind, and your world is all of a sudden in total bliss. Along with another baby, though, come worries of: How will I possibly love this baby like I love my first? Or, How will my child adjust to having a new baby in the house? Will they still know that I love them just the same?
The challenge of discipline is to teach lessons positively rather than punitively. Positive discipline does not mean that the child will always be happy with limits. They may express sadness, frustration and anger at the limits placed upon them. These feelings are normal when we want something we cannot have. A parent can empathize with these emotions but still maintain the limit. A parent should always be accepting of feelings, even when behavior cannot be sanctioned.
Babies love music, and music is good for their development. If you can’t carry a tune, don’t fret. There are lots of ways to bring music into your baby’s life. For hundreds of years, mothers have crooned their babies to sleep with lullabies, fathers have sung nursery rhymes to their toddlers and families have made folk music a part of everyday life.
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