cradle songmixed media collage
9.5 x 7.5 x 3/4
on solid aspen
(c) 2009 julie king
holding sweet 1-week-old baby ben today made me very nostalgic. the birth of a new little one is filled with joy and anticipation of good things to come. it's a time of feeling blessed and grateful, a time of sharing with family of friends. but for me it is also a time to reflect on the young mom i used to be -- naive, a bit scared and so filled with love and the intention to protect my little ones and give them the best life possible. i made mistakes, learned by experimentation, and loved them. oh, how i loved them. now, so many years later, a grandma of 3, i sometimes reminisce on what i may have done differently or better. but, as for being the best mom possible, these things i know to be true:
••• read to your little one. it is a perfect way to bond, build the imagination and inspire learning
••• let the need for perfection fly out the window. babies aren't perfect and life with babies certainly won't be. relax and let the dust bunnies settle. there's nothing more important than spending time with an infant!
••• spoil with love, not material things. a child won't be scarred by not having the hottest new toy but nothing will influence his/her life more than your love!
••• have a sense of humor. it will make the fun times so sweet and the bad times much more tolerable.
grandma julie is off to fix a bit of supper and watch a movie! take care!
••• read to your little one. it is a perfect way to bond, build the imagination and inspire learning
••• let the need for perfection fly out the window. babies aren't perfect and life with babies certainly won't be. relax and let the dust bunnies settle. there's nothing more important than spending time with an infant!
••• spoil with love, not material things. a child won't be scarred by not having the hottest new toy but nothing will influence his/her life more than your love!
••• have a sense of humor. it will make the fun times so sweet and the bad times much more tolerable.
grandma julie is off to fix a bit of supper and watch a movie! take care!
12 comments:
Hi Julie, I loved your post, the collage is so adorable- and that is some of the best advice I've heard anywhere for new mothers. You should write a book (illustrated with your wonderful work) for mothers!
I absolutely love this!!!
Thank you for sharing these words of wisdom, Julie. I'm glad you stopped by my blog so that I could visit yours. Love your artwork -- especially your profile pic. Great!!
Julie, this piece is a fantastic way to commemorate your new grandson and your memories of motherhood. You've given good advice too.
my mom tried to tell me all of this almost thirty years ago when my sweet melissa was born. thankfully, both of my kids grew up well, in spite of the fact that i was always trying to do it ALL! we always had lots of love and humor in the house, but i'm guilty of worrying too much about the dust bunnies! enjoy your sweet time with your grandchildren, julie! :)
What a sweet collage and very true words...I'm still a long ways from being a grandmother (hopefully!) but I think I would feel much the same.
Love the image, and loved the post.. Wow what wonderful words of advice. There is just nothing better than heart-felt words of wisdom.
Staci
Julie,
Such a sweet collage- Those robust looking babies look like they are swaying on those stalks- yet not weighing them down. So gentle.
jenny
Great adivice Julie! What have you got for older kids? I love the collage!!
I know what you mean about babies & nostalgic feelings. I get to the point of feeling like having another baby but luckily, that's only a feeling as almost immediately, I remembered the sleepless nights & fatigue ;)
Both our children's names came from the books my husband & I read. I will try hard to be a good grandma to their kids!
Very true what you say here. I particularly like putting aside any need for perfection.
Julie, I just love this cradle image. You have used some of my favorite colors. I, too, held a small baby lately and I've also thought the same things you have about what I did as a mom and what I could have done better. But holding our little grandchildren is almost like a second chance, but even sweeter.
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