What baby names do you like and why? Why would you be a good mother? What would you most struggle with (if you had to guess)
Today's random question comes to us from Susanne. :) Well and it's three questions, but I'll allow it. Because I'm in charge. :p
First: baby names. Hmm. Well actually I'm not a big 'name' person. My friend Eve had baby names picked out in middle school. Admittedly they were very hippy-esque (Sunny Day and Cloudy Night) and once the reality of being married and the father having an opinion hit, Evesdottir wound up with a lovely normal name. :)
Personally the only name that has significant meaning for me would be Joseph/Josephine/a. My grandfather, who is in my completely unbiased opinion the greatest man who ever lived, was named Joseph and I was supposed to be named after him - Josephine/a - but my mother changed her mind and I became 'Amber'. So one day, if I ever have kids, I'd like to name my first child Joseph or Josephine/a. As for other names...*shrug* it would depend on my mood I guess, and what input my imaginary husband had on the subject.
In general I guess I'm more a fan of classic names, nothing strange ala 'Sunny Day'.
Second: Why would I be a good mother?
I'm not sure I would be. I don't have this burning desire to have kids or spend time around kids or anything like that. I'm good with kids, once they hit the walking/talking stage, but I don't have some baby whisperer power or anything. I guess, if I turned out to be a good mother, it would be because I think family is one of the most important things on earth and I protect what's mine no matter what.
So basically, if you mess with my kid I'll cut you. *sharpens knives*
On the other hand, I don't believe that coddling children does them any good, so I think I'd be a good mother in the respect that I would let the kids make their own mistakes and I'd do my best to make them aware of the real world. Like Santa. Santa is the biggest...
Look. You take these kids and you tell them that there's a magical man watching them All the Time (which is stalker-creepy, don't deny it!) and that if they're good then he'll bring them whatever presents they want. Because he's *magic* and he has *elves* and *flying reindeer*. So then they're the best they can be and Christmas comes around and woah, hey, where's that pony they requested? They were good and Santa has gypped them! He's broken the social contract! BETRAYAL!!!!!!!!!!!! Down with the system! RISE UP MY TINY BRETHREN!!!!!!!! *short, angry mob storms the pony store at the mall*
And all of this could have been avoided if parents would just admit that hey, we're the ones buying you the presents and we can't a) afford a pony and b) have no place to keep said pony.
And I will read my kids classic literature and not Fluffy the Bunny or whatever it is. Dracula is a perfectly acceptable bedtime story, right? Right?
One thing that annoys me about modern parenting is this habit of treating the child like they're just a vertically challenged adult. They're not. They're a child. By all means, they should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions and I will take them into consideration but I AM THE ADULT! My vote counts more. Mostly because you can't reach the pedals yet, tiny human.
*side note: In case you haven't noticed, for someone who has no kids nor any plans to have any in the immediate future, I have *opinions* about them. I realize that this is coming from the peanut gallery and obviously defer to the wisdom of those who have actually had and raised/are in the process of raising kids.*
Third: What would I most struggle with?
Entertainment. I did not realize until Evesdottir came along that you had to entertain tiny babies. I thought they were pretty much self serve in that respect until they became mobile. I thought there was a grace period.
There is not.
How do you find something to entertain a fussy baby? HOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW???????
I'm the kind of person who can spend hours sitting and reading a book.
Tiny people apparently want to be moving and seeing and *held* all the time and you have to wake up every couple of hours in the night to feed them even if they're sleeping peacefully and then sometimes they won't go back to sleep because hey, you started it, now NO ONE WILL SLEEP!
And the cart must always be moving. Always. You cannot be stationary in a store with a baby for more than .02 seconds. It's *weird*.
I remember hearing a few times that Santa is the most requested "sexy costume" for guys in a relationship. That combined with your bit about creepy Santa makes me think it's just a grown-up version of the Twilight craze. O.o
ReplyDeleteWhatever it is, it's creepy.
Delete*spits at the mention of Twilight*
"One thing that annoys me about modern parenting is this habit of treating the child like they're just a vertically challenged adult. They're not. They're a child. By all means, they should feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and opinions and I will take them into consideration but I AM THE ADULT! My vote counts more. Mostly because you can't reach the pedals yet, tiny human."
ReplyDeleteI love this. It drives me nuts. They are children. Pretending to be puppies, or playing with dolls in trucks, or drawing silly pictures is part of their learning process. Its juvenile because they are juvenile. Plain and simple. Do not expect them to understand complex concepts and be serious. Let them be children. Parents who don't let their kids be kids can do some serious stunting to their mental growth. You also cannot expect them to make all their own decisions. Heck, teens aren't developed enough to fully make their own decisions in some cases. If its taking your child half an hour to pick out clothes because you gave their little brain at 3 too many options well you need to rethink your strategy. And read some neuro-development books.
If I had to guess I'd say that this has all grown out of the idea that we need to challenge the children in order for them to develop. Which is true, but too many people have taken it too far.
DeleteYour last point makes me wonder about using the phrase "slept like a baby" to mean a good night's sleep. What? You woke up crying every two hours? Were you sleeping in a cage? What does that mean?
ReplyDeleteI do not think it means what they think it means.
DeleteHonestly it's never made sense to me either. Babies, in my experience, are the lightest sleepers on the planet. They wake up for *everything*. Who would want to sleep like that?
Now see you surprised me because I always thought you wanted a bunch of kids. Not that you said you didn't want any, but you have no burning desire for them. Hmmm!
ReplyDeleteWell, I enjoyed this post. I love Joseph and Josephine/a honoring your grandfather.
And, yes, how about those kids wanting to be entertained. The days I have Zach...wow. And I really don't like little kid games much. Thankfully he is cute.
I'm like you, I like to read.Oh, and sleeping at night is great.
I love these every day posts. I may be sad when November ends unless you keep to posting at least somewhat regularly. It's nice having stuff to read! :)
What I mean is that I know some women who're about my age (some a little younger) and are obsessed with the idea of having babies. They *want* them with a great passion. I don't. If I got married and we decided to have kids, then great! But if I never have children I don't feel like my life will have been unfulfilled or anything.
DeleteFunnily enough, if I do have kids I'd like to have a bunch. I'm not a fan of only children - they tend to be spoiled *utterly* rotten.