One of my Steps in Parenting

Parenting isn’t something we should just wing and hope for the best. Parenting needs to be intentional not just when we feel like it, but many ore times when we don’t. One of the major stepping stones in our parenting journey began once we announced our pregnancy.

God’s Timing

What a great day it was when we finally could announce to the world that we were pregnant. We had waited for longer than I wanted to wait.  I still don’t know if I have learned that lesson that God was trying to teach me. I still long for things to happen in my timing rather than trusting in God’s perfect timing. As I write these words, I have had many different thoughts flow through my mind. How many times have I knelt in prayer and asked God about His timing. Many times.

We waited for God’s timing and on the day that God decided the timing was right, we became pregnant. I remember those days as I was so nauseated and felt so miserable, and yet there was so much joy. I think that is the only time in my life that I have been happy to be sick. It was miserable, but I knew it would be worth it in the end.

What am I going to do?

Then we started thinking about being parents. I didn’t know the first thing about being a mom. How was I going to take care of this helpless infant that needed me for every aspect of life? That was a responsibility that was daunting and overwhelming. I didn’t want to mess this precious little one up. I could either mess their life up completely or set them on a trajectory that would help them throughout life.

So I started to read. I had a friend recommend to me a series of books by Gary and Ann Marie Ezzo titled “Preparation for Parenting”  Back over 20 years ago, there were cassette tapes that we listened to and a book that we read. Now there are videos to watch along with the book.

A welcome addition

These books helped me to understand the needs of a baby in a way that I had never been taught. One of the biggest premises of this book is that “Children are a welcome addition to our families.” Too often when babies are born, our lives change focus and with good reason. These little ones need us. These little ones are helpless and can do nothing without us. It is with good reason that our lives change and our focus changes. However, too many parents have gone overboard with this and their children become the center of their world and not a welcome addition.

A schedule is a beautiful thing

The second thing this book taught me was that babies do better with a schedule. When we put our babies on a schedule, they learn to sleep through the night faster. Isn’t that what all new moms want and need? More sleep. The schedule is a feed-wake-sleep schedule. It is much easier to plan a day if we know what the schedule for the babies is going to be.

With the help of Gary and Ann Marie Ezzo, I felt much more sure of myself as a mom and felt like maybe I might be able to care for our baby.

I am so thankful for my good friend who introduced me to this material, and I am thankful for Gary and Marie Ezzo and their willingness to put this material together and help so many parents across the country.

They also have a simpler version called “On Becoming Babywise” I highly recommend the audio along with the books, but if time is of the essence this shorter book will also help you understand the principles. With our oldest daughter graduating from college last weekend, I am so thankful for the foundational principles we started with so many years ago.