And what are you *not* concerning yourselves with?

[hjdong]

Dirt - As in, he sits in the middle of our building site and pours dirt on his head and I just don't care - he's entertained. Although I have to admit, I hate when he has smears of dirt on his face. That's just gross.

Sun for him - I do feel a bit guilty putting sunscreen on me and not on him but I obsessed last year, and he got so dark. I've mostly ignored it this year (except for beach trips) and he's so dark. I on the other hand burn.

Not doing things "right" - He wants to do everything himself, and I've gotten used to underwear showing, shoes being on the wrong feet, juice in cereal etc.

Not riding a tricycle - DS maybe the oldest kid ever to not really ride a tricycle (he pedals for a couple of feet) but I don't really care.

That's all I can think of.

[hobey]

Another vote for dirt here. I mean, he's a kid. Dirt happens.

Food/Meals - He rarely eats veggies although now he'll actually eat them if I offer small bits to him on chopsticks. *shrug* He loves fruit so he gets his vitamins that way. He's been on a meat strike lately and will snick-snack all day but prefers yogurt, cheese, and fruit to cookies so I don't sweat it.

Sun - Luckily DS inherited my SE Asian skin instead of my DH's easily burned European skin.

Getting rid of his bedtime bottle - This is usually the only milk he drinks these days but he gets plenty of Ca from other sources. He uses straw cups and open cups the rest of the time and will only drink water. He thinks I'm trying to poison him everytime I've offered juice.

ETA: Talking - he knows and can use about 10 words but prefers to sign and he knows about 30 signs. I figure the words will come and he can communicate fine with signs.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[Puddy73]

Dirt/Germs - Now that DD long ago stopped putting random stuff in her mouth, I don't sweep and vaccuum every day. I also stopped using the cart cover and I (gasp) let her play on fast food playgrounds. I think that as long as your kid is healthy, exposure to some dirt and germs is good for their immune system.

Sleep - Knock on wood, she sleeps pretty well now, although not quite as much as I would like!

Jennifer
Mommy to Annabelle 9/03 & a little pumpkin due 10/05

"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away."

[murpheyblue]

I probably belong in the bad mommy hall of fame because my list is pretty long:

Table manners - DD eats most of her meals standing on a chair or onteh bench in our kitchen. She doesn't like to sit and I don't like to fight with her about it. She'll eat if she's standing, so standing it is.

Food intake issues - I feed her when she's hungry. She tends to snack a lot and eschews big formal meals but whatever. As long as she's puttting decent food down, I don't care.

The sun - DD wears sunscreen if she's going to the park or playing outside but otherwise likely not. She refuses to wear hats.

Dirt - We have two dogs that are in and out all day. I simply cannot worry about dirt issues.

Pacifiers - She still uses them. Don't care.

Sleep - She's figuring it out. She was rocked to sleep until 18 months and still occasionally co-sleeps. She'll get there when she's ready.

[mudder17]

I probably don't cover her with sunscreen enough. If we're going to be out in direct sunlight for more than 15 minutes, I'll usually put some sunscreen on her, but if I'm taking a quick walk around the block, I'll put the hood up on the stroller (doesn't cover her completely), put a hat on her and take the walk. My view is that the sunlight will give her sufficient vitamin D. :)

I used to think that Kaya should always eat at the "table" or at least in her high chair. But now DH and I follow her around giving her spoonfuls of food. Eh, I figure she'll figure it out eventually. :)

Dirt--okay, Kaya's been playing with the flower pots (empty, full of dirt, and planted in) on the porch. She likes to take an empty pot, go over to a full pot, take out some dirt, transfer it or sprinkle it around the ground. Certain plant parts also make it into her mouth (my plants are of the nonpoisonous variety, but not exactly tasty). She'll put it in her mouth, test bite it, then spit it out. Strange girl. Uh, washing her hands? Well, if I know she's been playing in dirt, I'll usually wipe her hands with a wet cloth before letting her eat.

Teeth-brushing. Umm...I am so bad about this! She has a toothbrush and I'll let her play with it, but I certainly don't brush her teeth every day, or even get her to do it.

I didn't worry about the fact that she wasn't walking when she wasn't. She wasn't walking at 14 months and some people made comments, but I just said she'll walk when she's ready. And at 14.5 weeks, she stood up one day and started walking. A few days later, she was walking backwards. She's almost running these days. So mommy and daddy were right not to worry. :)

Fevers? She gets these occasionally, but unless it's clearly affecting her, I don't worry about it and don't even give her Tylenol for it. My pede is totally with me as well; the less unneccessary medication is administered, the better. :)



Eileen

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...ies/candle.gif

http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbo...n_gold_12m.gif , 15 months & counting
Kaya's cousin, due October 9th!!!

[wendmatt]

HOORAY! I don't feel so guilty for letting dd have sweets sometimes now!
DD eats OK, not great but I've stopped worrying so much about it. She eats mostly at the table but I do follow her around sometimes, glad I'm not the only one.

Sleep. It still bugs me that she won't sleep from 7.30 till 7.30 but I'm much less stressed about it than I used to be.

TV at 6am. I used to feel terribly guilty for letting her watch a whole hour of Sesame Street, but don't worry so much now.

Dropping a snack on the floor....10 second rule counts around here!

Reading at the table. She'll only sit and eat her meal if we read her books, not great table etiquette but oh well it works!

[muskiesusan]

I have never been concerned about dirt, and everyone thinks I am odd. Glad to find similiar company!

Alex's language/other development-still no words, but I know the day will come when he won't shut up and eventually he will learn where his nose is.

ETA: The kids getting hurt. If they fall or something, for the most part, I don't worry about it. I can usually tell right away if it's serious or not, and let it be if it's not. I will comfort if requested, lol.

Susan
Mom to Nick 10/01
& Alex 04/04