As a parent, what things are you proud of, what things could you do better? - Page 2

[LuxPerpetua]

Things I'm proud of:

That we had a wonderful pregnancy and med-free birth even though it was with a very old-fashioned OB/GYN at a conservative hospital

That we nursed dd for 4.5 years, have always co-slept, always met her needs

That dh and I both rock at gentle discipline and unconditional parenting

That we discovered Waldorf and homeschooling very early in the game

That our dd at age 5 is one of the most easy-going, non-materialistic, innocent children I've ever met.  She's also compassionate and extremely bright with a great sense of humor.

That we have a peaceful, clean, tidy home and I cook almost all of our meals from scratch.

That we have always been low media and are now TV-free and have been for 2 years.

That I have always sung and read to dd.  She has an amazing ear for language and music now.

Things I wish I could have done better:

That I would have diagnosed dd's reflux as a babe.  I didn't know about it and the dr. never mentioned it as a possibility.  I've only dx'd it  in hindsight and I think treatment would have helped a lot.

That I never would have introducted dd to the computer at age 2.  That was a mistake.  Thankfully, I weaned her off of it at age 3, but I definitely regret this.  However, she did have amazing hand/eye coordination for a 2 year old.

That in the first 2 years of her life we ate a lot less healthy than we do now because I had to hold dd during every nap (due to sensory issues) and dh was in grad school.  We were in survival mode.

That I don't tell as many stories as I'd like or do imaginative play with dd as much as I should. 

That I'm just  now learning hand-arts, like sewing and knitting.  I wish I could have made dd's baby clothes.

That I had to work up until the day before I delivered.  I wish I could have "nested" more.

That we live in an apt. because we had dd in grad school.  We do have a great apt. but I know people look "down" on us for not having our own yard and house.  However, we have a lot of green spaces we play in and a pool.

That we have partially-vaxxed.  We always did it on a delayed schedule but in retrospect I'd do even fewer.  We are no longer vaxxing.

[Storm Bride]

I hope I'm too hard on myself, because I've been thinking about this thread off and on ever since it was posted, and I haven't come up with anything I'm proud of, except maybe my dedication to breastfeeding...and since I've never had any real challenges, beyond torn up nipples in the early weeks (with my first two), I'm not even all that proud of that. I'm glad I do it, but it's not like it's a major effort or anything...