Didn't I Feed You Yesterday?

After a whole day marathon with our babies, we wake up the next day as she cries AGAIN and think, "Didn't I work this hard yesterday? Today is a Saturday, AND a holiday, AND I have a cold. Shouldn't I be allowed a day off?"

Um, no. Our babies are little persons, in urgent need of our love and attention. And while nothing could be more adorable, our brains can eventually fry. Even when we're having fun, we can burn out.

This book "Didn't I Feed You Yesterday?" by Laura Bennett (a designer from Project Runway) doesn't talk about that specifically - though it might, I don't know, I hadn't read the whole book yet :). But the first pages that I flipped through were about how the loads of information we have today on parenting can actually turn us into maniacally depressed moms instead of helping us. Maybe she didn't say it in those terms (I added the "maniacally" for effect), but I liked her frankness about how overwhelmed moms can be.

HOWEVER, this is a book not to be taken too seriously (at least from what I could tell so far). I love books that shouldn't be taken seriously :). Though they must have a point somewhere, or else I think I'd get bored. And her point seemed to be that you shouldn't stress out too much about the "right" way to parent - since you're a different person than the next mom, you'll find your own way. Of course there are basics absoluts (like, um, feeding the baby), but whenever I follow my maternal instincs more than how-to-books, Melissa always seems a lot happier.