Pacification

I'm struggling lately with feeling like I'm a bad mother since we started using the pacifier on a somewhat regular basis (when Baby Jo is fussy and when we get her down to sleep). It feels like I am taking the easy way out -- like a good mother would be able to calm her baby without the use of a silicone nipple. I guess when I think about it, there is no easy way out when taking care of a baby. Babies are hard. The pacifier helps. It helps her and it helps me. That said, I still can't shake the self-inflicted guilt that the binky brings.

When I mentioned this guilt to my friend Beth, a fellow mama, she responded with this:

Ain't nothing wrong with the pacifier. Don't even sweat. There's not a kid on the planet who marched off to Harvard still sucking on a pacifier (and if they did, it was only as part of some creepy xxx role-playing shindig. nothing to see here; move along...just saying).

Mantra:

Crappy Mama = "Okay, Baby. Mama's feeling real lucky so she's just gonna step into the casino and see if she can win next month's rent. You stay put. I'll be sure and crack the window."

Crappy Mama ≠ occasional (or even regular) use of pacifier...