Who Knows Best?

Having ten younger siblings, I'd like to think that I know a thing or two about taking care of babies. Of course, having your own child is a bit different than just taking care of another person's. Even so, I had quite a few hours of child care under my belt, well before I had Juliette.

Seth, on the other hand, has one sister, less than two years younger than him. That's it. And his baby experience? Limited at best.

So when it comes to settling Jewel down or figuring out the reason why she is even upset in the first place, I often take charge. Mother knows best, right? I like to remind him of her schedule, teach him how to play mind-stimulating games with her, and show him all the things required in the proper care and feeding of a child.

I tend to think that I'm the expert parent.

I think a lot of moms are like me. It is easy to see your spouse struggling with something, and just step in to 'help' him. It is easy to belittle his attempts at parenting. To act like you know everything and they don't know anything. Anyone ever been there?

Last night Seth's golf league ran late. Juliette was already in bed, settled down for the night, when he got home. He wanted to spend some time with her, I wanted her to get a good night's rest. I was just looking out for her best interest, right? (Certainly, it didn't have a thing to do with the fact that I was tired, and wanted a quiet evening!)

Typically I would have pitched my own fit, and insisted that Seth leave her in bed. But for some reason I relented. Seth rescued Juliette from her crib, and we proceed to have a lovely game of family hide-and-go-seek, topping the evening off with a family band session complete with banging wooden dowels on tambourines. We had a great time together, and I would have missed out on some wonderful moments with my husband and daughter if I had insisted that she stay in bed.

And you know what, she slept just fine last night.

I hate to admit it but there is a time for a routine, and then there is a time to throw that routine out the window. There is a time to be the "expert parent" and then there are times to just let Daddy do his thing.

I want Seth and Juliette to have a deep and rich relationship - so if that means that I have to sit back and let them bang some tambourines with wooden dowels late at night, so be it. Seth likes to tell Juliette that "Daddies are fun, but Mommies mean business". My new motto: "A little fun never hurt anyone."