Oceans of Emotion: Keeping Your Mood from Sinking Your Baby
This is a guest post by Dave of Folkabout Baby, a kindred spirit of mine. If you like I Thought I Knew Mama, you'll love Folkabout Baby!
Babies are like sponges. They absorb everything around them.
If you give them joy, they’ll give it right back to you, amplified to eleven.Babies absolutely love to smile and laugh and giggle. It’s their natural reaction to life.
But if you give them negativity, they’ll eventually start to reflect it back to you.With enough hostility, frustration, and impatience, you can turn your baby from a joyful,life-embracing being into a sad, inward little child.
I’ve seen it happen with friends, and it’s a terrible thing to behold.
You need to realise the massive effect you and your emotions have on your baby.You’re the biggest part of their life right now, and you need to always keep this in mind.Everything you do has an impact on them.
You don’t need to be perfect. In fact, don’t even try for perfection: you’llnever get there.
What you should strive for is awareness.
Always ask yourself, “How might my mood be affecting my baby?”
When they do something that frustrates you, ask yourself if your reaction is inyour baby’s best interest. Does your anger help them or harm them?
If you’re having a particularly bad day, watch out that you don’t take it out onyour baby, even passively. Ask yourself, “How am I allowing my emotions to colour theway I’m treating my baby?”
It’s hard at first to be this honest with yourself. Most of us don’t have anypractice in being aware of our emotions and reactions. With time, though, it willbecome second nature for you, and you’ll begin to see the impact it has on your baby.
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How do you stay conscious of how your emotions and moods affect your baby? Do youmake a deliberate effort to be aware, or do you assume that you’re naturally doing yourbest?
Let me know in the comments below!
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Dave Higgs-Vis is a father, a husband, a blogger, and a chef. If you enjoyed thispost, you can find more like it at Folkabout Baby, a parenting blog dedicated to helping you to become a better parent and raise happierchildren. He's on Twitter as @FolkaboutBaby.There's also a Folkabout Baby Facebook page.
