Please tell me I'm not a bad mother. That everyone makes mistakes and that the important thing is that she's okay. Because I know this, but could use the pep talk right now.
I was getting us ready for a playdate this morning. You other parents out there, you know how sometimes you just get that feeling? Like everything's too quiet all of a sudden?
I left the baby gate at the bottom of the stairs open.
She was two thirds of the way up the stairs.
Luckily, I didn't startle her as I vertical-leaped up the stairs until I was right behind her. I let her finish climbing with my hands fractions of an inch from her behind, as we've let her climb a dozen times before.
We started that because I read a suggestion that, rather than making your stairs completely off limits, you let them learn to climb while you're right there because the day will come when they're suddenly confronted with a set of stairs, parent unawares, and a baby with experience is more likely to come out of that confrontation safe than a baby who's never been allowed to experiment with climbing them.
So, maybe I'm not such a horrible mother. Maybe I at least know my own weaknesses. And I don't think I'll make that particular mistake again. My heart couldn't take it.
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5 comments:
While not a mom myself, you are a wonderful mom and EVERY mom does something like this. You will read this three years from now and think, "Oh, jeez, why did I freak out about that so much?" You are a great mom with a stair-climbin' baby who just wanted to check out the Upstairs Situation. Take a few deep breaths and you'll be ok!
Ok - that's not actually something to freak out about. What it is - is a gentle reminder from the universe to remember it next time. She is ok, you are ok. Everything is ok.
It doesn't make you bad; it doesn't make you careless.
You are GOOD.
my little munchkin swallowed something and I have no clue what it was. And she has fallen of the couch and changing table. You are def. Waaaay ahead of me in good mom points. Mine prob would have fallen to the bottom! You seem like a superb mother.
The beating your self up is the anxiety talking. I agree take a deep breath and you will be ok. Every time you do you will feel calmer. Now about how you can watch a baby non stop turn around and they have done something. Let see sit down for a min. hear a grunting sound an ignore it for a second-get up and there is M . on the table trying to stand and he can't because he keeps hitting his head on the light !!! he was 9 mons old. Then there S. age very young and she fell down the stairs to the attic, so I taught her to go down stairs after that !!! should I go on :):) We have all been there at least you did not back over her like A.Carol do angie. It's all in how you look at it, you amazing mom you. Love M
My mom let me climb stairs sans banister, rails, walls figuring if I fell I wouldn't next time...I turned out okay. You are very good X 1000.
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