Balancing needs

It is a common error of parents to think that they must sacrifice all their own needs and desire to satisfy those of their children. Although, at the very beginning of parenthood, there is no getting around the fact that having a new baby creates biological and psychological demands that take precedence over previous commitments to yourself, it soon becomes apparent that your continued sanity depends on giving yourself a proficiency as a parent is improved by a reasonable amount of self indulgence. The frantic, frazzled mother simply is not as effective as one who sets aside a portion of time and attention for her own use.

  There are some tricks for accomplishing this goal, despite the never ending demands of motherhood. Some mothers use nursing time for benefits both mother and baby. Some mothers, for instance, discover that as long as they are down on the rug at their baby’s level, he is content to let them read or sew while he crawls around exploring the room. The most obvious relief for the mother in a two parent family is the father, who is not only capable of doing his share, but is actually depriving himself of many parenting pleasures if he does not.