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Tuesday, May 01, 2007

A Life Less Frightening

This post is from Summer Minor as part of this month's Blog Exchange. Please make her feel welcome.

Being a mother is a scary place to be at times. It seems like everything that used to pass me by is now lurking around full of hidden dangers, ready to jump out at any moment and strike my children. Could they choke, have an allergic reaction, fall off, break something, or worse? The list seems to go on and on and I find myself fighting to keep my head above the water of the "mommy paranoia" that seeks to make me afraid of microwaving leftovers in a plastic dish. And cancer, don't forget that everything causes cancer these days.

I would love to be able to live in a world where I don't have to live in fear of the fifty billion things out there that could kill my children. To eat a salad without thinking about all the pesticides and chemicals sprayed all over it. To eat a snack without checking the label for transfat, preservatives, and artificial dyes. A simpler way of life, the kind that you find in black and white television shows late at night. Where they knew the farmer personally who grew their food, and a little league game didn't involve buying $50 shoes and special team uniforms. when the best toy ever was the old stick you picked up on the side of the road and became everything from a magic wand to a ray gun. Those were the days...

Often I find myself in awe over the things that I worry over so much now. Not the worry itself, but how motherhood has made me so protective. As I watch them playing I can't help but feel such a deep love for them that I want to give them the best life that I can give. Who knew that the girl who used to eat fast food burgers every day would now be growing her own vegetables and serving meatless meals? How was I to know that the girl who swore that spanking solved everything would be a parent who hates spanking? Not even I could have guessed that motherhood would have made me into such a different person that I used to be.

Even my own partner in all of this can only shake his head as I read the labels at the store, hang the cloth diapers out on the line, and bury my nose in the stack of books on the table covering everything from vaccines to lead paint. He often tells me that I'm afraid of everything and that I can't keep the boys in a bubble. Logically I know that, but I can't stop from wincing a little when I see the baby pick a handful of grass and shove it into his mouth. Or when the preschooler comes home from grandma's house full of soda and hotdogs. I don't want to live my life in a bubble, I just want a life less frightening.

Summer Minor is not only the guest writer today, she is also a stay at home mom of two young boys, a freelance writer, and more than a little sleep deprived. While I'm writing here, you can find Alex over at my blog Wired For Noise. Feel free to stop by and see what she has to say there. And don't forget to click here to check out the other posts this month, and to get more info on the blog exchange.

Labels: Blog Exchange

posted by Alex Elliot @ 7:08 AM 7 comments

7 Comments:

At 5/01/2007 8:39 AM, Dana said…

We moms worry over everything. I sometimes worry about things that won't happen for years. Like driver's licenses, weddings and grandchildren. Insane!
At 5/01/2007 9:07 AM, Cori said…

Great post Summer, you're not alone I think every Mother feels the same way, just in varying degrees. Welcome to the world of Motherhood!
At 5/01/2007 12:11 PM, Suzanne said…

Very nice post, and I think that everyone can agree with how you feel about all the environmental toxins we have today. I have to point out, though, that things were never really simpler. The 1950s is exactly when the neighborhood farmer started pumping the produce with all that junk and suddenly packaged foods were considered the best because people believed that science was better than nature. And before that, there frequently wasn't enough affordable food because crops were subject to the whims of nature. The truth is that moms throughout history have always had to battle to protect their kids. Things are no better or worse today, just different. And that goes for future parents, too.
At 5/01/2007 4:13 PM, Laura Lohr said…

I can totally relate to motherhood changing me in ways I would never expect. You summed it all up very nicely :)
At 5/01/2007 7:08 PM, soccer mom in denial said…

How true that motherhood equals some worrying. My new fear is community MRSA!
At 5/01/2007 10:42 PM, Jenn said…

it is all very worrying - and regardless of any decision, there's always the worry that we could have gone the other way... as if motherhood wasn't busy enough!
At 5/02/2007 9:58 PM, Alex Elliot said…

Summer,

There is so much to fear in the world around us and in the risks we take in our own decisions. Yet at the same time, there is so much hope and promise in all that we do. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on FFAFP and thank you for making me think. I enjoyed your visit. I also appreciate how welcome you and your readers made me feel on Wired for Noise.

Alex

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Name:	Alex Elliot
Home:	MA, United States
About Me:	Professional Mom of two cats, a dog, an ant farm, and oh yeah...two boys: a 5 year old and a 3 year old. Also found in my house is my husband who is known on this blog as The Big Giraffe.
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