My view from afar...

Every parent has to experience the feeling of someone else influencing or caring for your child from a very young age. When you first have a baby, people come to visit you at the hospital and take a sleeping and swaddled child from your arms and hold them. I know how much I love to hold a new baby so I don't fault anyone from this experience, but it certainly feels different to watch your newborn in someone else's arms than yours. You are able to see a different view of them, see how they move their mouth or grap someones finger and it is not the same view as you saw when you were holding them.

Fast forward to some point in the future and you walk away from the house and your baby is not with you. For some this takes days and for some it takes years...but the day comes! When you return you hear stories about what they did or how they behaved and it is a different view than when you are with them. They NEVER act exactly the same way when they are with you as with other people and it is fun--at least for me--to listen to stories of something the girls did when I did not experience it first hand. I would rather have been there, but there is something to be said for other people telling you about your child. Depending on the caregiver and the "mood" of your child-your desires were probably either carried out the letter or something did not go as planned. usually something did not go as planned. They did not eat, they did not sleep, they fell down etc. It happens.....it happens to moms too.....but in that moment, your only thought is-"Seriously!" They ALWAYS or NEVER do that with me. What did you do wrong.

Why do mommies feel like they are perfect when it comes to what to do for their babies? Why do we feel so much pressure to be perfect, to always have a answer, to know the answer before the question is asked?

So-this is true for all moms I have ever talked to. If this is not true for you, then I would love to know who you are. But when you are a working mom-these ideals that we have for our children are FORCED to be changed. The daycare decides what they are going to eat for lunch. The daycare decides when they are going to take a nap. The daycare decides what book to read before naptime. Of course, the moms get to be part of the process but ultimately, we are overridden must of the time. The child is asked to forgo their perfect world for a world that works with all the other kiddos. They are taught to share, to be considerate of the other kids, to not talk back to their teachers etc etc etc. Of course we get to pick where we take them, and make sure that place will work with us, but really we have to find the place that works BETTER than the others. I doubt there is a BEST daycare. BEST is at home with mommy---right?

So my view of Annabelle and Maggie is different now that someone gets to teach them, play with them and be with them all day. I know I would rather them run to me than their teacher when they want something....But, I know that what is BEST is that they run to their heavenly father when they have struggles....not to their Mommy....OUCH! They are supposed to grow up and move on. That is for sure. I can not create a world that is perfect for myself or for my kids. They will have to struggle in their lives as I have struggled to get where they will be in 35 years.

But for now, I pray for Annabelle's teacher Ms Randee and Maggie's teacher Ms Melissa and for each of the kids they have the privilege of knowing each day. I know that God has ordained their time with each child and teacher and IS IN CHARGE of that time no matter what my opinions are about it.