I was in a Hallmark store yesterday and I saw a lot of baby books, baby calendars and other accoutrements for recording your child’s milestones. But I did not buy one. Not, as you might think, because I already have one; I do not. I did not buy one because I know that I would not use it. Not even the kind that’s just a calendar with helpful stickers describing things like “First tooth” and “Doctor visit.”
But I was thinking about it, and have come to the conclusion that it is not because I am an lazy, unsentimental person that I am not using a baby book. No, it is because I am thoughtful. You see, as the youngest of six kids, my own personal babyhood went largely unrecorded. There are about four pictures of me before the age of three. Big Sister #1, on the other hand, has approximately four thousand pictures, and that’s just of her first two months.
I certainly understand the reason for this. Frankly, it’s a miracle my mother survived at all with six kids running around, never mind having to stop to write down what day it was when kid #5 lost her first tooth. Nevertheless, I did feel a teensy bit left out when I was growing up.*
Thus, by not keeping a baby book for Jack, I am not just being lazy. No, I am taking into consideration the potentially sensitive feelings of my hypothetical future children for whom I will have no time to keep baby books. Yeah! That’s what I’m doing.
Not lazy and unsentimental. Thoughtful. Yeah.
*Confidential to my mom: Speaking of sensitive feelings, this entry should in no way make you feel the slightest bit guilty. You are the best mom ever and I would not change a single thing about my childhood. I could not have felt more loved and cherished growing up, so rest easy.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
You forgot to mention that I got my ears pierced at age 10.
There is a man living in my house with hair that used to be black. After reading this entry,he said "Life is hard." And I got my ears pierced at age 63.
Signed,with love,
The Mom
If it makes you feel any better, I did start a baby book for the wee one which I only kept up for the first 5 months or so and haven't updated in ages... and I feel crazy guilty about it. So am thinking that this was a wise choice indeed
The cold hard truth: When I was 7 months pregnant and my friend had a 4-month old, she told me she had found this great calendar with stickers that you can use instead of a baby book. "You can just use the stickers to note when he rolls over, or gets a tooth, or smiles! It's so much easier than a baby book!" I said, "Wow, great!" but I _thought_, "Now, why would I do that?"
It was a tuesday.
Big Sis #5 (aka kid #5)
Post a Comment