In a lot of ways, there’s never been a better time to be a mom. We get to
stand on the shoulders of moms who came before us, with better and safer products,
child-rearing techniques, access to experts, and ways to care for our babies. But
today more than ever we’re looking for balance between consulting our trusted
circle of friends and family and researching answers on our own. Along the way,
we sometimes find that getting in touch with our roots is a great way to keep centered
in this fast-paced world.
The Circle of Advice
As new moms, we say it all the time: there's just so much that I need to know.
How do I get it right? What are the sure-fire techniques, products, nutrition and
more that are best for my baby? We sometimes wish for that magic instruction booklet
that has all the answers. What's the next best thing? We turn to our circle of friends
and sisters with children. It's hard to beat experience.
But today, we're also independent. We've grown up used to getting our own answers
(thanks in part to a little thing called the Internet). We can balance what to take
from online sources, and what to adopt from our own families. We use information
to empower our decisions and arm ourselves with all the facts and figures to choose
what's best for our babies.
The Pace of Change
It's great that Google is there for us 24/7. But it can lead to information overload.
Trends change, and what was considered great last year may turn out to be a bust
later this year. Car seats, cribs, highchairs and more — so much has changed over
the past decade that it sometimes seems hard to trust the information we find. What
has all of this change brought us?
Well, for one thing we're more involved in our children's lives. Back in the 50s,
people thought picking up children too much wasn't good for them — that it would
get in the way of their independence and ability to fend for themselves. Thanks
to people like Dr. Spock, we've changed our parenting approach. Now, nurturing is
second nature, whether it's reading aloud, playing classical music, or just picking
them up for a hug. Debate the scientific merits if you want to — but it sure can't
hurt!
Finding the Core
So, how do we keep centered in a world that's changing so fast? What's permanent?
A lot of us today are finding that even as the latest fads and technologies come
and go, tradition matters. Think back to your family. What were the things you treasured
most? Long car trips in the summer? Singing? Playing music? Board games? Sometimes
the simplest things build the strongest family bonds.
Getting in touch with family traditions can give us a core to return to when things
feel like they're moving a little too fast. New mom-hood is also a great time to
start some new traditions, or highlight the things that we definitely don't want
to hand down. It can be an opportunity to make a fresh start.
So the balancing act continues — tradition and new baby care tech; the Internet
and our trusted friends. We're forging ahead so that the next generation of moms
that stands on our shoulders will be grounded in the old and the new.