All You Need

As much as I know that things don't matter and that you can't buy love, I still get this urge every time I enter the kids department in a store to buy at least something for my baby. Once, after going months without shopping, saving and being good, I received some extra money for some part-time work. I had been making a list of things I needed to get for Miles and with my check in hand, I decided to finally scratch that itch. Well, let's just say that I went a little crazy and spent almost the entire value of the check (I'm not even going to tell you what it was because I'm still embarrassed). It was a good day for Babies R Us. After I got home, I looked at my receipt, and all the things I had bought. Half of the things I had intended to get I had totally forgotten about. Instead I had come home with several pretty unnecessary items that at the time seemed perfectly reasonable. Do I really need a pad for my knees with cute little animals on it for bath time?...most of the time I go in the bath with him anyway! and all of the outfits that I couldn't resist...not to mention the little shoes that he grew out of in a day.

:::sigh:::

I was never one to spend a lot of money on myself. When I would go shopping for cloths or accessories, I always looked for the bargains, often shopping at second hand or thrift stores. And yet, all of those years of thriftiness went right out the window when it came to my son. I can see why it's so easy for children to get spoiled. As parents we want to give our children the best of everything, and we don't think about the cost, because our child is worth it...and so we tell ourselves as we ring up that $200 activity center with the flashing lights and 25 different sounds.

Ever notice how kids' favorite toys are things that you don't even buy? My son loves boxes, and paper, and anything that he can bang on and make noise with like a pot, or our metal garbage can.

I remember a phone conversation I had with a good friend while I was still pregnant. She asked me if I had everything I needed. I told her yes, and that we were having a baby shower and would probably get plenty of things from that. Then she said something that I try to remember whenever I am feeling like I have to get the newest
"baby gadget". She said, "all they really need is you".

When I had my baby I made the decision to have a natural birth. It was something that my husband and I felt very strongly about and that came quite natural to me since my mother had done the same thing (I actually ended up using the same midwife who delivered me!). One of the things I would tell myself was that women have been giving birth for centuries without any medical interventions. God has equipped us with everything we need to get the job done.

If you think about it, the same holds true for actually raising children. It's been done for centuries, and without the use of wipe warmers or electronic bouncers, or even disposable diapers!

When my son was first born I would often think about women in different parts of the world, and almost envy them. Here in America, our lives are fast paced. We value independence and somehow have this naive idea that a woman has to be "Super-Mom", managing kids, a career, a house, all at once. I would picture women in Africa sitting in the sun, nursing their babies all day, or mother's in Mexico carrying their babies in a rebozo while tending to their garden. I would imagine myself in a peaceful place where caring for my baby was all I needed to worry about. No baby swings or playpens here. Of course, there were times when that swing was a Godsend. All of the modern conveniences certainly make our lives more comfortable. It's just nice to remember that we don't need them. God equipped us with everything we need to nurture our babies. Sometimes I think, "if God never gives us anything we can't handle...boy, must he have a lot of faith in me." (because my baby is NOT easy...is there really such a thing?...perhaps that's for a later post...)

In those times of desperation where it seems like I'm too tired to go on, and so is Miles, but for some reason he JUST WON'T SLEEP...I picture these women, and think, "if they can do it, so can I". And then I put on the Baby Einstein video and make myself some coffee.