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Confession Number 1: I get jealous.
It’s true. I get jealous. I get jealous when you talk about your toddler being able to count to 10 in three languages. I get jealous when you talk about your toddler being on TV. I even get jealous when you talk about your toddler sleeping through the night. Yup, I’m a jealous mom.
Why am I jealous? My one-and-a-half-year-old is doing awesome! He is happy, loving, fun and smart. He identifies letters and is especially fond of the letter W. His vocabulary is through the roof and he’s putting words together all the time. The doctor was even impressed with his development at his 18 month check-up. So again, I ask, why am I jealous?
I take a step back to collect my thoughts when this happens. Sure, my toddler might not be a superstar or speak multiple languages, but I love him just the way he is. I love my little munchkin who announces when he’s pooping, who doesn’t sleep through the night, and who climbs everything in the house as if he’s Spiderman. I love going for walks with him and stopping at every street sign and manhole to check for the letter W. I love my son curling up on my lap with his blankie, thumb in his mouth, and asking me to read him the same books he loves over and over again. I even love him when he wants to go down the slide one more time on the way to the car, when it’s wet, and I’m late for work.
So yes, I do get a tinge of jealousy when I hear about fabulous things other toddlers are doing. But I wouldn’t trade my son for anything. You keep your movie star, trilingual, super-sleeping toddlers. And I’ll keep mine—even when he’s announcing to the world that he is pooping or when he wants to nurse in the middle of the night. Because my toddler, flaws and all, is perfect to me.
Love this post! My cousin and I have got into this awful competitiveness, our firsts are 6 months apart and our seconds are 3 months apart! Always feel my boys are playing catch up! We all just need to enjoy what we made because they are superstars!xx
It’s so easy to fall into getting competitive! I know I’m guilty, even though I sure try not to! Glad to hear it’s not just me!
Sounds like a great grandson ~ well, not a “great grandson” but a really really good grandson, where “really really good” means great! Or wonderful. Or grand. Yes! A grand, grandson!
Grand indeed. 🙂
I can relate except that the feeling that I have been coming closest to is heartbroken. With every milestone that my son isn’t meeting, I feel like we’re being left behind while toddlers can run and kick a ball (my son just started walking) and toddlers his age can say complex words while my son struggles to say “dog”. I love my child with all of my heart but it breaks my heart that he is behind his peers in so many ways.
I can understand where that would be heartbreaking. Hugs to you and your little one.
I typed a lengthy comment on my phone earlier, but it wouldn’t let me post! I’ll try again on my computer.
I love this post. Jealousy comes so easily once you are a parent, and it can make it difficult to enjoy the moment. I suppose it comes from our fear that we aren’t doing enough for our children, or maybe that the world won’t recognize that they are as amazing as we know they are. It leads to feeling pressure to be doing the absolute most with every moment, which leads to stressed moms and stressed kids. I don’t have any answers, but it is nice to hear someone else acknowledge a feeling that is so common. And I have to comment that Triston loves the letter M. He loves it so much in fact that it took weeks to convince him that W is a different letter. He will now recognize W, but he does so begrudgingly.
We had to do just the opposite! He still turns Ms upsidedown to make W. Thank you so much for your response!