Mothers, Follow Your Instincts
Although we can read many books on the subject, our instincts will always be our best recourse to take care of our children and bring them up in good conditions.
There are many books and seasoned experts that can offer heartwarming advice on how to raise our children in the best possible way.
But, how did our ancestors, the mothers of old, when all this did not exist? The answer is very simple: they followed their instincts.
Nature is wise
Nature is wise and, if you know how to listen to your instincts, you will have no doubts about the behavior you should adopt with your child.
However, our socially constructed beliefs and prejudices can sometimes make us lose our core nature a bit.
Think for a moment. When you hear a child cry, what is your first reaction? Ignore him or console him?
It is true that the incessant crying of a child can be disturbing and exhausting. However, they fulfill a very specific function. And no, we don’t want to talk about their alert function when the baby has gas or an upset stomach.
We are referring to the fact that a child can sometimes feel bad about an argument that breaks out in the couple of his parents.
Just because a child is small and inexperienced does not necessarily mean that he is unaware of what is going on around him.
Your instincts are wise, but sometimes it is dampened by a lot of advice from friends, family, or TV experts.
Among the myths that circulate about raising a child is the one that running to a child when he cries would be harmful.
According to the theorists of this idea, this would not allow the baby to learn to be patient in the satisfaction of his desires and would teach him to manipulate his parents.
However, our instinct tells us to act differently and we must follow it.
We must also open our eyes to the fact that a child sees the world in a different way from us and that we are not able to perceive its reality, even if we have all been in his place.
Mothers slaves of time
You have certainly heard that mothers should breastfeed their babies every three hours. But what is this information based on?
We must allow children to ask for food if they feel the need. We undergo the same dictates by forcing ourselves to eat at set times, even if we are not hungry.
Without realizing it, we become addicted to totally arbitrary schedules. Nature works differently.
What should you do if your child asks for milk outside of these preset times? Society tells you not to give in and, de facto, to go against your instincts.
We are in a world of information, but that doesn’t mean the absolute truth is there. Each case is different.
It is sometimes difficult for us not to follow a theorized and widely held idea. But we must resist the sirens of ease to listen to our instincts.
Instinct knows no rules
Instinct is indifferent to the beliefs which are spread by reason. When we observe nature in its purest form, we can realize that the rules we apply to ourselves do not make sense.
The fact of not sleeping with our child, for example, and putting him in a separate bed, is not an absolute educational rule. Likewise, we can sometimes read here and there that it is not good to hug your child too often.
All of these statements limit what we feel inside. Little by little, we stop being in contact with our child, we gradually separate from him.
A mother’s love is expressed in a way that knows no rules and no laws. Let’s not limit or curb our instincts. Everything that one can read and hear about motherhood is not binding.
Conclusion
To clear all of these beliefs from your mind, just think about what you liked or disliked about raising your parents. This will give you a guideline to follow your instincts.
Also, don’t be fiercely opposed to all ideas that come from outside. Extreme behavior, we all know, is never good.
Search inside you, let yourself be guided by your instinct and do not deny yourself to show your child, by caresses and tenderness, all the love you have for him.
