When Annabelle was little, she was a total milestone champion. She threw us her first smiles at like four weeks, rolled over about eleven weeks and was an early walker around ten months.
Yep, she could totally participate in the baby Olympic decathlon of milestones – and I, as her mother, would have been some pushy sports mum living vicariously through her child, bragging about her every win.
I was a total baby bragger.
Fast forward about three years, and here I am! The mum of a little girl with a speech delay due to hearing problems, which she needed grommets to fix and a baby who is THAT far off hitting her so-called milestones at the ‘correct’ time.
I must admit that I’m glad it happened this way around, and that I didn’t experience the extreme paranoia perhaps some first time parents do when their babies don’t hit milestones. But I can guarantee you it doesn’t stop you worrying and stressing that perhaps something is wrong or you need intervention to help. It doesn’t stop you comparing, even though you know no two babies are the same.
Listen: Shelley Craft’s parenting mantra. Post continues after audio.
Yes, babies all develop at different ages and absolutely we should celebrate all our children’s milestones (no matter how early or late), but it doesn’t help when you see little Timmy, who is a month younger than your baby, sitting up while your little cherub just flops over herself and face plants the ground.
Top Comments
So it was OK for you to flaunt it in everyone's faces with your first, and I'm guessing you were challenging other babies efforts but now you have a child that has some issues you feel the need to tell everyone not to discuss it? This really is a stupid article obviously written because someone doesn't llike it now the shoe is on the other foot.
Also I wouldn't sh$# can wonder weeks as it is a great tool for many parents and I actually use it to plan because I wouldn't get on a plan or do a holiday during a wonder week.
Totally agree re the stress it causes - probably worse now than when my kids were little. But it's good practice for the over competitiveness that you are about to face for the rest of your kids childhoods - Wether it's sport or academics there are parents only too willing to tell you how amazing their kids are!!
Just don't buy into it - love your kids for who they are - allow them time to find their strengths and weaknesses and never compare them to anyone else. Esp not their siblings!!!
When they are all grown up no one will care or remember what milestones they met - relax and enjoy the years with them it all goes past too quickly