Becoming a Parent

Edward is becoming ever more adventurous each day, and with this comes new challenges as he discovers the world around him. I now find myself in new territory, not only do I need to be his mother, but also his parent. I can do the mothering bit, that has come easily, but the parenting role has added a new dimension.

I find this particularly hard when in the company of other parents and children, because Edward likes to snatch toys, like all babies he wants what the other baby has got. I find myself apologising for his behavior not knowing if I should step in and retrieve the object, or let it pass and let them sort it out for themselves. If I snatch, surely I am taking the same action that Edward has just done, how can I lead by example. Sometimes the other parent intervenes and I watch as the object gets snatched out of his tiny grasp, how can a lesson be learned from this? He has no concept of right or wrong and he definitely doesn't understand what I am saying.

I am trying to swap the item for a new one, this seems to be the trick. But I am starting to realise that to parent Edward I need to first put myself in his shoes.