milestones

Milestones don't matter.

Parents spend a lot of time telling their kid's things like "you're special" and "I love you just the way you are." So why is it that during the early stages of life, parents put their child in a box? During the first month they must be able to coo. During the second month, the child needs to smile, laugh, and hold their head steady... and so on and so forth.

Milestones do help parents make sure there child doesn't have a disability, which is a good thing, but be wary of putting too much stock in your child reaching goals at a certain time. If you're not careful, the dark side of milestones may rear it's ugly head.

Don't Enable Sibling Rivalry

When you start comparing milestones between siblings, it can only lead to bad things. Each child will progress at a different rate, and if the older child hears you saying things like "oooh, big girl, you learned ______ way before your sister," all it does is break down the older child.

My Kid is Better than Your Kid

It goes without saying that my kids are better than yours. My dad can also beat up your dad, and your momma's so fat she needs a boomerang to put her belt on. That said, whenever comparing your situation to someone else's, remember that more than likely someone else's child will be "better" than your kid at something. Someone's dad will be able to beat up your dad, and your momma is probably fatter than someone else's momma. We're here on this earth to help each other, building on each other's experiences, not to make sure our kid is "better" than everyone else.

Sit Back and Relax

Kick your feet up, relax, and enjoy the good times... after all, once your child reaches a milestone, there's no going back.

There comes a point in life where everyone has to learn to stand on their own. Making the decision doesn't come easy, nor should it. There are often tears involved, followed by anger and a plethora of other emotions. However, through the trying times, growth occurs. You are able to spread your wings, transforming into the person you were meant to be.

One thing I've learned in life is that you shouldn't let people hold you back. You shouldn't be forced to crawl through life, when you know that you were born to run. Try as you might to make the old way of doing things work, sometimes it just won't. After five years of marriage, and two beautiful kids, I have an announcement to make...

The little one is standing on her own! She is trying to spread her wings and fly, but for right now, she is just falling out of the nest and landing on the ground in a heap. There have been tears shed as she crashes on the hardwood floor, but each time she falls, she learns what not to do next time.

In no time, she will take one more step toward transforming into a thriving, self-sufficient human being. At this point I will cower in fear. She already likes to come at people in a flurry of teeth and fingernails, and I can only imagine the damage she will do once she's fully mobile.