Your Child's First Teacher

When I saw the title to the book Sara had read, You Are Your Child's First Teacher, it stuck in my head, following me about the house while I did my morning routine.
I recall reading one book about childrearing, probably because it was the only one out there. I can't recall its title but it was the standard. Susan will undoubtedly come up with it. But I didn't have to worry, I had my mother, my aunt, my sister, my sister-in-law, my best friend, my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, living nearby, all of whom were ready for advice, suggestions and just to give me stories so I would know what I was going thru was normal. I knew what kind of child I did not want to raise, the brat we always see in department stores, or sit next to in crowded places. Thinking that would be easy was my first mistake.
Seeing my children now at 28, 24, 19 years of age, I am amazed at who they are. I was not a perfect mother. I did not have a perfect home. There was dust on the counters for the kids to write their names in, dirty dishes in the sink. They witnessed screaming fights between their parents. They heard cuss words that would rival anything you hear on HBO. And they survived.
I never really thought of myself as my child's first teacher, although I knew I was. The best thing I did was I taught my children phonics as I wanted to make sure they knew how to read and I was certain the school system was inadequate in that regard. My theory has always been if you can read, you can do - learn, anything. And I always made sure I was honest with my kids. If they asked me a question, I would answer it. Truthfully. If I didn't know the answer, I would find out. This means being ready to talk to your child about sex when they are as young as 6 years old. When they ask the question, you have to have an answer. If you don't, you will soon learn they will go somewhere else for their answers and that is NOT a good thing for them to be doing.
Having that book title with me this morning made me think a new book should written.

Your Child Will Become Your Best Teacher

This would be my advice to mothers. Relax and learn all that you can from your baby. You are obviously a wonderful person. Look at who you are. You are smart, have graduated from school, worked at jobs, know what you love and don't love, played sports, found a mate, you know what makes you happy, unhappy, you are functioning well in this world.
You have a baby. Watch how your baby reacts to the world. See what the baby smiles at, what catches his attention. See what makes him cry. Notice how his digestion works. See the world thru his eyes. This will give you a new prospective on your own life.
As he grows, listen to what he says, and ask what he thinks about things. Life is new and fresh to him. The words he speaks come straight from the heart, a quality that we tend to lose as we grow older. He can see joy in things that we have stopped even recognizing.
I know parents worry if they are doing the right thing and want better things for their child than they had in life. But this is my belief.
My child picked me.
True, I made the decision to have the child, but the child I got picked ME. For whatever reason, Butch and I had all the qualities and knowledge this child needed to fulfill their destiny. That thought in itself took a lot of pressure off my mind.
Since they picked you, you know you have what it takes to help them become who they need to be.
Now you can focus on what they came here to teach you. This is the fun part. Open your heart, let the love in and the teaching begin.