For the first year and a half of Benji's life, I basically gloried in and embraced his dependence on me as his mother. He needed me to go to sleep, to get nutrition, to be comforted, and to feel secure. As he nears his second birthday (and the birth of our second baby approaches), I have been more focused on his independence - praising him for using the big boy potty, going to sleep on his own in his own bed, and feeding himself.
Last night Benji must have felt unusually insecure because he wanted me to stay with him while he fell asleep, whereas normally he's perfectly content to let me go to the living room while he goes to sleep on his own in his room. It was so sweet for him to fall asleep with his head in my lap. While I was sitting there, stroking his hair, I was thinking, "Don't grow up too fast. And Laurel, don't push him to grow up too fast. He is still such a little guy." No, I don't want to have to sit there with him every night to go to sleep (like before), but on a occasion, it can be one of the sweetest moments in a mother's life. I want Benji to always feel the freedom to need me, whatever his age . . . and I want to make myself available to always be there for him.
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