A MOMster Life

I stumbled upon a video on Facebook wherein a mother (or she could be the nanny but everyone assumed she was the mother) puts her child on the changing diaper table. Something caught her attention and so she turned her back for a few seconds. The child then rolled over and fell off the table. The older brother's spider sense tingled and he caught the baby! The mother hugged them both, thankful that the baby was unharmed and proud of her older son who acted as a hero.

Now, instead of the netizens celebrating how heroic the elder child is and actually be thankful that the baby is fine, they were busy bashing and criticizing how irresponsible the mother is. She should have never left the baby on the table and nothing should have took her attention away from the baby.

In the mother's defense, there were also a few people who said things like this could happen anytime and they're sure that the mother has learned her lesson so there's no need for people to be too hard on her.

So the question is: Would it make you an irresponsible parent if your child gets hurt?

I asked myself the same question a few months back. Little Akisa was playing around and basically showing off her dress to her uncles and auntie. I specifically told her not to get near the electric fan while I was busy preparing our stuff (we were going out that day). While I was not looking at her, she just kept on running in and out of the room. Suddenly, I just heard her screamed. She accidentally had her fingers scratched with the fan blades. Fortunately enough, the blades were made of plastic so it didn't (God forbid!) cut her finger, but it still hurts.

When my friends knew about it, they immediately said I was too irresponsible. I know they were joking but it still hit me. Was I really an irresponsible parent because my daughter got a scratch? Well, I know it wasn't just a scratch, and I can't reason out "I was busy." or "I already told her not to go near it." It just wouldn't sound right.

Back when Akee just learned to walk, she didn't want me to hold her. She'd keep on pulling her hand so I'd let her go. So I allowed her to walk on her own while I was walking beside her.

She lost balance.
I wasn't fast enough.
She bumped her head.

She's got a huge bukol on her forehead and I blamed myself for letting go of her little hands.

Here's a photo of little Akisa with that bump on her forehead.

Going back to when my friends called me "irresponsible", I messaged my bestfriend and asked her if I was indeed irresponsible.

To give you a background of what kind of person she is, she loves good laughs and is super crazy! She'd do the silliest of things and she's loud and frank and bold and crazy! Oh, did I mention she is crazy? (Haha, love you, dae XD)
I expected her to give me a long sermon or the craziest of advice but then, I guess she's grown mature enough that she actually gave a decent answer.

Am I an irresponsible parent if my child gets hurt?

She said that parents aren't perfect. There will always be a time when our little ones would get hurt. They will get scratches and wounds. They'll fall on their knees. They'd get bumps on their heads. But that's one way for them to learn.

They got hurt because they played with the electric fan? Then next time, they'll be sure not to play with it anymore.
They fell because they lost balance? Then they'll learn to get back up and walk again more carefully this time.

Things like wounds and bumps on the head aren't unavoidable especially if your child is too energetic and curious. The important thing is to be with them and make sure they'll be okay if they got hurt.

Everyone is perfect and much better parents until they actually have a child on their own.

So instead of dwelling on what everyone says about me as a parent, I should be more focused on what I should do as a parent for my daughter. It's how my little Akisa looks at me that matters, anyway.


When I get home from work, Akee keeps on blabbering stuff like she's telling me how her day has been.
She kisses me every time I pout my lips. She hugs me when I tell her I want some love.

So, I guess my little girl didn't hold any grudges or did not at least blame me for the huge bump on her forehead or the scratches on her fingers.

Am I a responsible parent?

I'll let my little Akisa decide on that. 😊

Going out of Never Land has offered me lots of challenges and responsibilities. And one of those responsibilities is to have a little child who would mean the world to me.

As a parent of a toddler, every time we decide to have a nice walk outdoors or even a quick stroll at the mall, it is very important to make sure that we bring everything we nee-..
uhm.. Let me rephrase that. *coughs*
It is very important to make sure that we bring everything our little girl needs.

For the first few months of being a parent, going out of the house has become stressful for me especially since I have to carry double of what I usually bring. I felt like I needed to bring everything! From diapers to clothes to sleeping mats and pillows... well yea. Basically, if I could just bring the whole house just to make sure I don't forget anything, I would.



Now that little Akisa isn't so little anymore, I learned that I need not bring the whole closet. I just have to carefully think what stuffs are really necessary.

Here is my own personal list of things to bring on a typical day out with a toddler.

Diapers

It is very important to bring an extra pair of diapers because you'll never know when they would feel the need to answer nature's call. As for me, I've been really lucky since my little girl really does her business at home. 😊 But sometimes, if it's a long day out, it's really necessary to change her diapers since this could cause rashes and irritation.

I used to bring five or six extra diapers but then I never really used that much. So now I'm just bringing two or three.

Milk, water and baby bottle

Since Akee still drinks milk, I had to prepare three (3) servings of milk, and of course her baby bottle. Some kids prefer their milk warm. I'm lucky *again* that Akee is fine with lukewarm milk. There are times I don't bring water, though, because it is additional weight. But I would buy one outside. Well.. yea, it's kinda confusing since buying outside still does give additional things to carry but whatever. 😀

Bib or small hanky

Toddlers can be very messy during mealtime so thank God for bibs and hankies! 😀

Wet wipes

Very useful especially during changing of diapers.
And in the absence of a bib or a hanky, wet wipes will do.😉

Extra clothes