Fear Mongering and Parenthood
3 Children are a heritage from the Lord,
offspring a reward from him.
4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are children born in one’s youth.
5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their opponents in court.
Psalm 127: 3-5 (NIV)
Hello ladies!
I want to leave you with a few quick words on something that's been on my heart lately.
Please don't fall victim to the fear-mongering disguised as wisdom intended for new parents.
I do a lot of baby-wearing. I breastfeed and co-sleep, I cook from scratch, and I enjoy my life as a stay-at-home mom. My internet algorithm feeds me lots of crunchy-mom, attachment parenting-style content. Maybe other parenting styles don't generate this kind of "you're probably a terrible mom if you do anything other than XYZ" message, but my algorithm sure does.
Sure, I enjoy all of these things, but I'm convinced there are greater benefits to having a peaceful mother in the home than there are to prescriptive parenting. I know that, as long as you seek the kingdom of God first (Luke 12: 31), that the Lord will provide you with all of the things He promises earlier in Luke 12.
I've found, after tweaking the process for three babies, that you almost can't mess it up if you do it with love. Peace matters more than breast or bottle-fed. Peace matters more than co-sleeping or putting baby in their own nursery from day one. Peace matters more than baby-wearing or stroller-pushing, peace matters more than sleep training or...whatever we call the opposite of sleep training.
Do what's best for your family. Don't let yourself get swept up into an attempt to be 100% whatever kind of parent your algorithm says you should be.
Be the momma that your children need, not the momma the internet wants to fear-monger you into being.
We're mothers raising arrows, not trying to be social media-perfect robots.
Everything is going to be okay, and you're probably doing a great job.
I'll pray for you if you'll pray for me, and all the love,
Emily
P.S. Feel free to contact me at admin@tulipsandbasil.com!
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