ESSAY CONTEST RUNNER-UP
"SuperBaby"
by Judy Nugent
When I brought Eleanor home from the hospital I was determined to be, not just a good Mom, but SuperMommy! Standing high upon a mountain of laundry, my cape flapping in the ceiling fan breeze, I surveyed the life I brought my daughter into and vowed to do all the “right” things. With my super powers, I’d ensure she was safe, comfortable, happy, independent, and caring. And who better to educate me than the Super Baby Experts on the bookshelves of Borders! So I completely immersed myself in research, spending countless dollars on the how-to’s of motherhood: How to swaddle baby, play with baby, get baby to sleep, keep baby asleep, soothe a gassy baby, calm a fussy baby… Then I proceeded to the more complicated why-you’s: Why you should rock baby to sleep, why you shouldn’t rock baby to sleep, why you should let her sleep in your room, why you shouldn’t let her sleep in your room, why pacifiers are good, why they’re bad, why you should let her cry, why you shouldn’t…
The books piled next to my bed became my nightstand, each bearing a permanent ring of dried coffee from its time spent at the top of the ever-growing stack. I read the books furiously, sacrificing much-needed sleep to get just one more expert opinion! One day, bleary-eyed and exhausted, I read something that brought my research to a grinding halt:
“Keep in mind that these are just suggestions. What’s most important is that you listen to your baby and work together to find the best way to…”
Listen to my baby?! Work together?! I felt my torn and frazzled cape fall to my feet. My little angel, cooing away on her activity mat, suddenly looked at me and smiled. It was as if she’d been waiting for me to “get it” and was overjoyed to see that now I did. I picked her up, hugged her tight, and cried as I apologized.
That day I packed my books into a box in the garage as a symbol of my promise to begin listening. Within a couple days Eleanor was sleeping better, eating better, cooing more, and was just happier. We communicated without words, forming a connection we hadn’t yet experienced. When “issues” arose, we figured them out together. There’s a level of trust between us now I never knew was possible. I’ve learned that the beauty of this journey isn’t found in trying to do everything perfectly or in validating one expert over another. It’s in discovering who we are each day and learning our lessons together.
Some of the books found their way back inside, and I still refer to them when I need useful information on things like cleaning the folds of a chubby neck or curing bubonic plague. But I’m armed with the greater knowledge that I’m the best expert on
my baby, and the world’s greatest mentor sleeps under my own roof: my SuperBaby, Eleanor.
OTHER RUNNERS-UP
Michelle Collins Anderson
Catherine Anderson
Kirsten Brunner
Maureen Murov
Kathleen Peters
Suzanne Scanlon
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