You have had a long day at work. You are coming home and still need to cook dinner and do some light house work. You are excited because you have a new creative meal planned for dinner and for once you are enthused about completing a project around the house that you have been looking at for weeks. You are almost home but first you have to pick up your child from day care.
You get home get your shoes off, maybe have the chance to change your clothes before … it happens.
Screaming down the hall way comes crawling your little one. Somewhere between the the car and the front door your child discovered that they need their mother right now. It has suddenly become unacceptable for you to do anything but hold, play with, talk to or breastfeed your child.
That has been my story every day this week. I hear stories from the childcare workers that he is a perfect little angel, hardly ever crying . However, once he sees mommy it is a totally different story. If I am any where in the room with him and he sees me, all attention must be on him and I am not permitted to do any work.
I feel bad because even when daddy comes home it is still all about mommy. He will play and laugh with his father but I still have to be in the room. Once I try to exit, even to the kitchen where he can still see me, I am in trouble. I have been forced on occasion or two to just allow him to cry for a few minutes while I do what I have to do. I hate it but he must eventually learn that I still love him and I am not neglecting him.
I do hope this stage doesn’t last too long. I so love my time with him and want to make him happy … I don’t have to clean everyday … but there has to be a compromise … Right?
Am I being a mean mother by not constantly holding and playing with him?
A Mom's Fresh Start 