I never gave temperament much thought until my first child came along. She was a demanding infant, often crying until I hoisted her into my arms. Many times she would continue her tirade unless I was in constant motion while holding her in my arms. I attempted to use a baby sling to give my arms some relief and to try to get a few things accomplished around the house, but the sling wasn’t good enough. She wanted actual contact with Mom’s arms around her, holding her, or she would let me know LOUDLY about her unhappiness.
Once she got old enough to communicate in methods other than screaming at me, it became quite clear that she was an extremely social being who thrived on human contact – constant human contact. This, in retrospect, was present even at her birth.
My oldest daughter’s outgoing and social nature was (and, at times, still is) overwhelming to me as a new mother. I never have been the life of the party and I’d given birth to a social butterfly. Our needs were in direct conflict. She craved adventure while I’d just as soon stay home and relax in the relative quiet.
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Thursday, August 28, 2008
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2 people like me!:
I like the jump to the other site. Very clever ;b
Thanks for your comments! I think that Kara and Anna are more like your Miss M. They have always wanted to be going and doing, and are way more social than I am. Luckily they have each other to keep themselves entertained and that and going outside do the trick, since outings with them, though getting easier, are oftentimes more trouble than they're worth (and I just got back from a 9 hour car ride - 6.5 if you could ever drive without stopping - so perhaps I'm a little biased against outings with them). And I too have the negative first reaction...I really don't mind staying at home all the time, it's much easier. My husband thinks I'm crazy - I'll have to show him your post.
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