You Can't Just Leave The Baby

Today was the 1st dry day in about a week. It has been raining huge drops day in and day out. That is the beauty of living in Washington. In fact, it snowed this week as well.

I spoke, rather chatted, with a friend of my sister's about her upcoming baby shower. She questioned me about the stroller she chose and I asked about the car she drives. In turns out, we both drive a Ford Sport Trac. In Washington, it is almost ridiculous to have two children and a Sport Trac. There is barely enough room for another child let alone his gigantic stroller. So, I told her that it wouldn't work, not remembering that this is her FIRST child not her second and that she lives in Hawaii not the Northwest. The Sport Trac works perfectly for one child. Hawaii is the land of rugged parenting. Children keep an eye on children. Children probably won't drown. People yell and spank in public and it is perfectly acceptable.

The first day I picked Isaiah up from school after having Josiah was a rainy day. It was horrible and wet and some asshole parked too close to the side of the truck that I had to pull Josiah out of. I held my umbrella, the baby in his carrier, and had the incredible urge to just kick in that car's door. Isaiah stood, and cried, in the rain. (He had been afraid of the rain since a rain storm in Hawaii.) That night I cried in the shower. I cried tears as big as the drops that rained down that afternoon. I thought seriously about what I could and could not do as a parent of two.

My mom would leave my brother at home, while he napped, to pick up my sister and I from school. She said she didn't want to disturb his slumber. Really? What is that about? You can't leave a baby!!! I've wanted to on a number of occasions, but my brain says I shouldn't. My mind goes to all sorts of places. How easy would it be to leave Josiah, sleeping peacefully in his playpen, while I ran to get his brother? How simple my life would be if I just did that one crazy act of desperation? Simple, until Isaiah's school realized that I was leaving Josiah alone in my office. (Five year olds let people know whats going on at home. They can't control their word diarehha.)

You can't leave the baby. It is taboo to spank your children. You can't teach a child to swim by throwing him into the ocean. You can't take a nap while your five year old watches a movie. You shouldn't co-sleep. Yelling is damaging to your child's well-being. There are so many things we can do, can't do, and shouldn't do that we get confused. We're lost in the shuffle of some new doctor's idea of how we should raise our children. And, I can't help but ask, "How many children does this doctor, this expert, have? Probably just one.