Dear son,
I wonder if you will ever realize how different your first months on this earth are from your sister’s early days.
We no longer try to do everything by the book. We don’t wash and disinfect every toy before giving it to you. You get wet wipes instead of clean water, and get plopped down on all possible surfaces without even a thought of cleaning them first. We appreciate your patience when you’re unhappy because nobody jumps up at your first cry.
We let you sleep on your belly because you sleep better that way, and I no longer care about falling asleep while breastfeeding in the middle of the night. And the baby app that I used to record every little detail of your sister’s day in? I only ever open it to mark how fast you grow.
We are terrible parents, aren’t we?
But, you see, I suspect that we are also better parents.
We no longer try to do everything by the book. We know that some fights are just not worth fighting, and we do what works for us and for you. Why try to stay awake at 3 am just to put you back in your bed if you won’t want to sleep alone after the warm cuddles anyway?
We are better at understanding your needs and we have enough experience under our belts to know how to help you most of the time. And in those rare times when you cry inconsolably we don’t loose our cool, which goes a long way to helping you calm down.
We know that so many troubles along the way are just a phase that will pass by itself given a little time. Be it tummy aches, teething pains, growth spurts, or mental leaps, we’ve been there before and we know that it all may be gone by tomorrow and you’ll be your happy, well sleeping self.
At the end of the day, perhaps it doesn’t matter if we’re worse or better parents than we were throughout your sister’s early months. We check whether you are breathing while you sleep just the same. We get just as excited about your first smile, the first time you hold a toy, and about every other milestone on the way.
We love you, our little son, and that’s the most important thing of all.