The Mother I Want to Be

I think it is a good thing to reflect about the type of parent you strive to be. I think about this often. It's hard to put into words, but I know in my head and heart exactly the type of mother I want to be. I want to give my all to my children (well, right now it's just Ryan, but also any future children). I do not want to start slacking off as Ryan gets older or when I have more children. I hope to take the extra time and effort rather than cutting corners. I know that when you have more than one child you have a lot more to juggle, but it is so important to me to be able to raise them the way I think I should. I know I look crazy talking, singing, and dancing down the grocery store aisles to make Ryan smile, and that is alright with me. I love making homemade baby food whenever I can. I am cautious letting him do many things because I'm overprotective. I want to spend all day playing with him and teaching him new things. Some people probably think I spoil him or baby him, but I think I'm just trying to put in 100% effort. I do know that I've learned many lessons in parenting already from the 8.5 months I've had Ryan. I also know that there are times when I get very frustrated and struggle. I need to focus on being more patient. At least I can say that with each struggle I go through I come out with more knowledge and an understanding of what I can do better. I do not want to be the parent that has the child always play by themselves, or the parent that is easily frazzled by the everyday minutia. It takes work to be a good parent; I know I will always have something to improve on, but I look forward to the challenge.