Mistakes I May Make

In response to my question regarding fellow Baby Wise-rs out there, a commenter directed me to a helpful site (www.ezzo.info) where people share their experiences (mostly negative) with Baby Wise. I have to admit I was at first dismissive. But, in the spirit of honesty and openness, I read through quite a few of the experiences shared. I am so glad I did! I valued the thoughts and experiences because they were first and foremost the genuine experiences of fellow parents, struggling with raising kids in a way that would glorify God.
There were many lessons learned shared that I will truly take to heart. Here are just a few:
➢ Not feeding baby when he is hungry because overly focused on schedule
➢ Not paying attention to breastfeeding/milk supply because overly focused on schedule
➢ Focusing so much on rules and steps that the principles and goals get lost
➢ Thinking that the Baby Wise approach is the One and only method for raising godly children
➢ Surrounding yourself with only BW parents; not being open to discussion with parents with other approaches

It’s easy to think of the mistakes I’ve already made in my first 5 months of motherhood. Just to name a few: not letting baby cry for more than 0.02 seconds at night before intervening, giving baby pacifier too often, not defending what I knew to be best for my baby (sleep vs. play time). When using any type of approach to anything, there is always the risk of following steps and rules rather than understanding concepts and applying them in the way you think is best.

Oh, how I wished (still wish) for the one easy answer that would solve my new Mommy problems. I wanted the answer to be a trick, an action, a product, even, which would make the problem go away. I’ve been blessed with many cases where the advice of a friend or my instinctual response to something has proven to be very effective in helping with the problem. However, I have often ignored God, the One who is able to give us everything we need to handle life’s trials, the One, Jesus, who understands our weakness, the Holy Spirit, who intercedes with the Father on our behalf. The best tool for parenting was there all along, waiting for me to ask and depend on Him.

Now God gives us resources on earth (friends, books, doctors) to help us in life, so I’m not saying I will quietly sit in my prayer closet until the answer comes. I am saying that I need to first go to God in my frustration and confusion. Then, I can seek for advice elsewhere and ask God to help me weigh them prudently.

I am thankful for the www.ezzo.info website because it has given me insight into the mistakes I’ve already made and could easily make in the future. It reminded me of how important it is to focus first on God and His Word in everything I do. So, today, I think I’ll pray a little more for Baby Z to learn to love the Lord and a little less for the solution to him waking up an hour into his morning nap.