Sometimes it genuinely surprises me how easy it is to just not be a shit parent. My mother used to scream at me for all sorts of stuff, even just being age appropriate difficult.
Last night my son screamed and screamed his head off. And don't get me wrong. I was frustrated and tired and I was tempted to just put him down and let him cry it out but I didn't.
I held him and pat his back and just kept going "it's okay, mama's got you. You can sleep when you're ready, you're safe" and eventually, FINALLY, at 2 in the morning, he finally fell asleep with his little fist firmly clutched in my hair and his face burrowed into my chest.
I stayed in the recliner for an extra hour to make sure he was in deep sleep before putting him down. And don't get me wrong, I'm EXHAUSTED and definitely taking a nap later, but I surprised myself with my own patience.
Bc my mother always said that I'd "understand" when I became a mom. And she definitely would have put the baby down to cry it out and maybe even lose her temper (he's 4 months btw, almost 5). Well... I'm a mom now, mom. And I... still don't get it. I get why you were mad, but I don't get why you lost ur shit. Bc frankly, it's not that hard to be kind to my own baby who clearly needs his mother. 🤷♀️
This is how you break the cycle of parental abuse.
Parenting is difficult and exhausting, but abuse is never warranted or inevitable.
