There was a baby girl who had a little swirl
just off centre of her forehead.
When she was good she was very, very good,
And when she was bad, well, she wasn't!
I've been getting the old 'Is she a good baby?' question a little bit of late. Admittedly the baby girl attracts a fair bit of attention when we're out and about... she is a little bit gorgeous let's be honest. And the question tends to come from those of an older generation. But not always.
The smarty pants in me always wants to reply "Well no, she's actually a very bad baby! She sneaks out the window at night to meet boys at the playground and I'm pretty sure she's planning to hold up the 7-11."
I'm not entirely sure what the correct response is. What are people looking for here?
How does she sleep? Like a baby. Sometimes she sleeps all night long and most of the day. Sometimes she wakes often to feed or snuggle. Sometimes she barely sleeps at all.
Is she a happy baby? Undoubtedly! In fact she's probably the living definition of the 'good' baby in that she is easy going and cheerful. She's happy to go to other people. She loves lying on her playmat and watching the world. She very rarely cries and she adores her siblings and parents. She is an 'easy' baby, so she must be good I guess?
So then, I guess my now 5yo daughter must have been a 'bad' baby. She cried a lot. She would not stand for being out of my arms. She would not be put down often. But then, maybe she was just a baby adjusting to a huge new world and coping with a 2yo older brother?
And my toddler boy. Oh he is a bad bad boy. He wakes many times at night. He has tantrums, he yells, he kicks, he wants what he wants when he wants it. Or maybe he's just a 2yo boy learning about boundaries and adjusting to having a new baby in the house? Maybe he's not bad at all?
I guess it's inevitable that I have some bad children though. I am a very bad Mummy. I never sleep through the night even if the kids do. I have sleep maintenance insomnia and as a result I'm sometimes a bit cranky in the morning. I eat when I am hungry and not to a set 4 hourly schedule. Sometimes I raise my voice or cry. I am very very affectionate with my family... the adult version of in arms I guess you could say. So with such a bad Mummy it's a wonder that we have such a good baby!
But of course when asked, I grin maniacally and reply "Oh yes she is a very good baby. She is the most wonderful baby I have."
Ohai! I'm Kate. I say stuff.
Posts
it is a silly question isn't it. I always used to say my baby is good cos s/he hasn't committed an arrestable crime yet LOL
ReplyDeleteWell I don't know about "good" but she's certainly a very cute baby! Adorable :)
ReplyDeleteI went through phases with the "good" baby thing. Usually I just smiled and said "Of course, all babies are :)" Sometimes followed with "they don't learn to be evil until they are older" or similar.
LOL @ "they don't learn to be evil until they're older"!
ReplyDeleteMy first was a "good baby" until he became a clingy baby at about 9 month and I was told to put him down and walk away by a midwife friend who later became a MCHN.
My second was a very, very, very bad baby - but luckily he had gorgeous hair, so we kept him.
My third was a very, very, good, easy-peasy baby, by my standard, but by then my standards and expectations had dropped considerably.
My fourth, well considering the welts developing on my arm because of the scratching episode that occurred just now because I wouldn't let him choke on a button... Hmmm. He's not good, he's not bad, he's two.