The early years of my motherhood experience were pretty lonely. We lived across the country from our extended family and I didn’t know any one in the neighborhood, and frankly, the other moms I did meet weren’t exactly people I wanted to socialize with. My go-to’s for parenting advice were books I had bought at Borders bookstore (anyone remember those?!?!), but I really wanted to hear from other moms who had been there, done that.
And that was all before I had a child with hemophilia. Sure, once my son came along, I wanted hemo mama advice, but honestly, I needed and craved those general parenting gems just as much as those hemo hacks that would come in handy over the years.
In that vein, we asked our Infusing Love mom bloggers to share their best mommy advice – those things that they wished someone would have told them. Hopefully you’ll find a nugget of information from these wise women that will help you in your adventures in motherhood.
- Think before you speak and if you say it, stick to it. Particularly if it is a comment about poor behavior. If you don’t, follow through, your child doesn’t learn there are consequences.
- Forget perfection, aim for perfect moments. Your house may not be perfect and your car may not be clean but the memories are worth it.
- Keep a journal of your child’s journey and pull it out and reflect as they grow. We have a blast as a family after dinner sometimes remembering how my son used to call a Turtle a “Kurckle,” or the time he came home from kindergarten to tell us about Christopher Humongous day.  This helps the boys value memories and not take themselves so seriously.
- To keep your children busy during the summer:
- try to enroll your children in all available free summer camps
- try a children’s scavenger hunt
- schedule lots of day trips and experience new places
- You hear this one, but it’s true. Believe it: “Sleep when baby is napping”
- Don’t sweat the small stuff
- Always kiss your kiddos at night and tell them you love them!
- The “traditional” time out never seemed to work for me. My husband came up with a great idea: to put “things” in time out. Our oldest son was in love with Rudolph during Christmas. He was getting out of hand one day and Rudolph (the video) was put in time out! You would have thought the world was coming to an end! The funny thing is that we all forgot about it and found the movie on top of the refrigerator in the summer 🙂
- If you are worried about stranger danger or safety on field trips, these tips helped this mom,
- When my girls were little we played “Imagine if” when we were out at the mall (you can use any place) and you looked around and you couldn’t see daddy or mommy.  Would you ask for someone’s help?
- Give your child a special bracelet bearing the name of your child and a reference telephone number.
- Another mom shared that she wrote her phone number in Sharpie on her kids forearm during field trips.
- Carry a small college dictionary, or use your cell phone, to make them look up words as soon as they can spell.
- Give them frozen bagels for teething. It worked for bleeding gums too.
- Use milk of magnesia to clear up diaper rash then use olive oil on their butts instead of baby oil. No more diaper rash and they smell like a little sub sandwich!
- Color Wonder markers on airplanes and road trips were a godsend. My kids are teenagers and still want them sometimes!
- You can put together a great first-aid kid using a pencil case as your vessel.
- Figure out a chore system and schedule that works for your family. You may have to test a few options before it works.
- Give kids age appropriate chores. It teaches independence!
- Only cook one meal! Being a short order cook is exhausting.
What other tips would you suggest to new moms to make their lives easier?
*Note: “Infusing Love: A Mom’s View,” is a blog collection of personal opinions and a representation of individuals experiences. While extensive efforts are made to ensure accuracy of the content, the blog entries do not represent HFA or its Board of Directors. The blog is also not intended to be construed as medical advice or the official opinion/position of HFA, its staff, or its Board of Directors. Readers are strongly encouraged to discuss their own medical treatment with their healthcare providers.
