Kitchen Table Blogs
Name: Jeanne Wieland
Kids: daughter, age 13; son, age 10
Works: editor, MilwaukeeMoms.com
Favorite part about being a mom: Built up my tolerance for bodily fluids of all sorts.
Least favorite part about being a mom: Constantly telling my kids to turn off the TV.
Famous for: Not caring who started it.
I'm pretty sure this is impossible, but everywhere I go lately, I'm seeing babies. Not just your garden-variety babies either. Really, really cute and sweet babies.
This is not good.
Like my own mother and grandmothers before me, I have the baby bug. You know, the thing that makes you want to sit next to the table with the baby at the restaurant so that you can make eyes at that baby the whole time. The thing that makes you itch to hold a baby when one is nearby or push one in a stroller or just tickle one under the chin.
But with kids the ages mine are now (13 and 10), the baby bug only goes so far. It stops at actually having a baby in my house full time (aka "another child") because one difficult pregnancy and several years ago, we decided that two was enough. We weren't going "back there" -- back to diapers, sleep deprivation and teething.
Potty training. Temper tantrums (although you still get some of those at any age). Public meltdowns. Yuck, yuck, yuck.
Making that decision, though, also means you aren't going "back there" to little ones who happily sit on your lap, splash around in the tub or lose themselves in baby giggles. The choice to stay status quo means you've made the choice not to have all that other stuff too.
And to be honest, some of that stuff is really good stuff.
I'm definitely not going back there -- no way, no how. But if I see you out at a restaurant, just know that I'll gladly hold your baby for you so you can enjoy your dinner.
And then I'll gladly give your baby back.
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