I thought I was a cool parent

Until I talked to my friend who is on his 3rd kid and he told me that he doesn't even sit and watch his son while he eats (he's around LC's age and on all real food now, so no more baby food). He uses the time to vacuum and do other odds and ends, keeping an ear and an eye on his son while he eats.

Um yeah, I still spoon feed LC, watch for signs of fullness, sit back and watch him as he stuffs cube after cube of cheese and pieces of banana in his mouth, only to have him realize too late that his mouth is too full and there is no room (or memory) to chew and swallow so it falls out half chewed, into the pocket of his bib.

I try to be chill with LC, let him get into stuff, watch him, see how he reacts, what he does. Not run to him at every little whimper - he needs to learn - and he does, very well actually, how to soothe himself. Just yesterday morning he cried out a bit and as I walked in a few minutes later he had just grabbed his paci - from across the crib - and put it in his mouth and hey, look at that, no more cries!

I just don't want to be an overbearing / helicopter parent. I want to be laid back, let him do his thing, let him learn from his mistakes (yes LC, if you pull out too many DVDs, both the shelf itself and all of the DVDs WILL fall out all around you - and it may be scary, but I'm right here watching you learn this, and you weren't harmed, and you learned, maybe, oh wait, you just crawled over there again the next day haha :)
Practice makes perfect right!

So I guess I'm doing an okay job of being relaxed. It is certainly a change from my pre-baby uptight, nervous about every little thing personality.

As my Dad says, my son has taught me patience. And how to relax, and enjoy, and roll with it.

Thank you LC, even though I still watch you eat, and spoon feed you sometimes, I think I'm laid back - and when you see me, your face lights up and you grin your big toothy grin and you clap - hey, I must be doing something right! :)