Mommy Claws
The baby I'd do anything to protect
I’m a pretty easy going, laid back girl. Well, I used to be; before I was a Mom. The farther I progress into motherhood, the more I learn that motherhood has certain side effects. First, I talk about my daughters poop a little bit too much. Secondly, I have developed ‘mommy claws.’
One day at the pool little kids were jumping nearby and water from the pool was splashing me. Prior to being a Mom, I wouldn’t have cared if the kids got me wet.
I actually used to hate the crabby adults who would yell at kids for being kids. Well, the second they almost got my daughter wet, I was up and over near them saying, “I have a baby here, could you please go and jump on the other side of the pool?”
Two minutes later they were swinging noodles at each other right near my daughter. I got up and went over to them and said, “Do you want me to talk to your mother? Please move away from my baby.”
This past weekend my mother was carrying Nora in the baby sling as we walked through a huge crowd of people. A 6’4”, 225lb man rushed passed us and his shoulder hit my daughter’s head. In a split second (without even realizing what I was doing) I leaped forward, pushed his whole body out of the way and yelled, “Watch the baby!” The man turned quickly towards me. He looked angry and I was expecting some sort of confrontation. He took one look at the fire in my eyes and to my surprise began apologizing.
Just tonight, my husband and I got in line for a pumpkin patch. There was a young man standing in front of us who light up a cigarette. Without even thinking I started waiving the air in front of my daughters face and said to him, “Do you think you could smoke somewhere else? Somewhere farther away from my daughter?” The young man looked annoyed, but he complied and stepped out of line to smoke farther away from me.
Countless times I have acted without thinking in order to protect my daughter. My tone of voice and body language mean business and so far people have backed down.
Is this something that is only happening to me? Or have other Mom’s noticed their mommy claws coming out to play?
I felt this way even during pregnancy that people would pull out in front of me while driving. Or bump into me at the supermarket. I found myself always assuming the worse that when she was born whether paying special attention to whether someone was smoking around/near my daughter or playing too rough next to her. It took a lot of energy and I was becoming an angry, oversensitive person. It has been difficult but I have tried to let some things go that I can not change.
Hey Vanessa,
Isn’t it crazy how much a pregnancy and birth can change our attitudes? I wonder if it is something hormonal that was originally aimed at helping us protect our young.
Kudos to you for realizing it was going a bit too far and turning you into an angry, oversensitive person. What have you been doing to help yourself let go of things you cannot change? Do you have any examples?
Kelly
Kelly!
Nora is too cute in that hat! WOW!
Thanks Toni!