I decided after Hunter was 3 months old that I'd get back to reading every night before bed. By that time, I had mastered a bedtime routine (or so I thought) and was ready to get my own routine back in motion.
More than anything, I wanted to have 15-20 minutes of down-time in between putting the little man to sleep and trying to put myself to sleep. I noticed that, even at my most exhausted, I was too wired from being non-stop all day to relax enough to sleep at night.
My favorite before-bed past-time has always been reading a chapter or two of my current book before closing my eyes and drifting off to dreamland. I made it my mission to start this up again and I'm happy to report I succeeded.
That being said, my book list has changed since I've become a Mom. I still read my femme novels, my historic biographies, and my monthly subscriptions but I've added parenting books and books that make fun of parenting books to the mix. I'm torn between wanting to know everything out there (so I can make an educated, informed decision about child-rearing) and knowing that no matter how much I read it's all going to come down to what I feel in my heart versus what a well-published doctor has convinced me to do.
Regardless, I read it all. I have the Super Nanny's books, the Shalom in the Home rabbi's books, the Baby Whisperer, the What to Expect series, the Baby Signs, the Raise a Smarter Child by..., the Bringing up Geeks, the Happiest Baby books, I could go on. Like. Forever.
I have run out of bookshelves and I've started stacking my books to make forts for Hunter to play in.
Reading about parenting and ways to laugh at parenting has made me realize that we all want the answers and there are no "right" ways to parent our children. It's also made me realize that I really want to get back to reading about summer romances in the Hamptons and Princesses from forgotten Chinese Dynasties.
When I read about parenting before bed, my dreams are clouded with reality. Ugh! Who wants to dream about our actual lives?
I've also learned something else. I need some of these parenting books to help me feel normal in my quest to want to be the best Mommy I can be. The book I read most recently (see blog title and click link) had three statements as an intro to the first chapter that were SO "me" it scared me:
- You dread the question "What did you do all day?"
- You consider a trip to the dentist your special "alone time".
- Reading before bed feels like a luxury.
Oh. My. Gosh. It's like this author is reading this blog.
The fact is, there are many moms just like me out there. Knowing that makes me feel a little less alone and a lot more validated.
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