Beating the 'parent' anxiety

 I remember a friend telling me get ready to be a 'worrier' all my life, when he got to know that I was pregnant. Ask any parent and all they would wish for their kids is a safe and healthy life, the rest is all superficial wants and needs for their kids. So I knew I was in it for the long haul, and I was somewhat ready for 'worry' to become my secondary nature. Every mother wants to be that cool lady who does'nt worry if her kid is crawling all over the house, picking up the newspaper and attempting to chew it, but most of us can only try and only a few actually manage to be ok with all the shenanigans that kids do these days. Most of us, will run and clamour over the internet and type in "is it ok if the baby chews the newspaper". For first time mothers like me, being nervous about their little ones is an almost sub-conscious activity that hovers around all the time.

I would have never figured myself for being a worrier, but there I was the mother hen, worried over why my baby girl is suddenly fussy about feeding or why is she reaching her milestones a little later than most other toddlers her age. But maybe it was experience or mother nature, somehow I know that worrying over my baby girl's sniffles is normal, and getting the sniffles is also normal. And milestones are just fancy terms used by doctors and baby websites. Of course, my heart does skip a beat when she makes that nth attempt to stand and falls flat on the ground. Her love for my slippers too had me worried, she would make a grab for it whenever she could, so we bought her a pair of slippers, sanitized it and she plays with it. Dont ask me, she has tons of toys, but she loves the slippers and the newspaper! 

So I am dealing with anxiety over my baby with a little bit of practicality and realize it is ok if she wants to play with her water bottle and it is perfectly fine if the pacifier hits the floor and she puts it in her mouth right after. I also sometimes take an extended break from learning all about growth patterns and milestones for a 9 month old baby. Yes knowledge is great, but sometimes it can only add to your worries, so sometimes a call to your own mother and checking with her can be a whole lot more reassuring than reaching out to google.