This beautifully written letter reminds new parents to give themselves a break...to not be too hard on themselves...to give themselves time to adjust
Dear Mummy and Daddy,
Please keep this letter from me in a place where you can read it and re-read it when things are rough and you are feeling down.Please don’t expect too much from me as a newborn baby, or too much from yourselves, as parents. Give us both six weeks as a birthday present, six weeks for me to grow, develop, mature, and become more stable and predictable – six weeks for you to rest and relax and allow your body to get back to normal.Please feed me when I am hungry, I never knew hunger in your womb and clocks and time mean little to me.Please hold, cuddle, kiss, touch, stroke and croon to me. I was always held closely in your womb and have never been left alone before.Please forgive me if I cry a lot. I am not a tyrant who was sent to make your life miserable, the only way I can tell you I’m not happy is with my cry. Bear with me and in a short time, as I mature, I will spend less time crying and more time socialising.Please take the time to find out who I am, how I differ to you and how much I can bring to you. Watch me carefully and I’ll tell you which things soothe, console and please me.Please remember I am resilient and can withstand the many natural mistakes you will make with me. As long as you make them with love I cannot be harmed.Please don’t be disappointed when I’m not the perfect baby you expected nor be disappointed with yourselves when you are not the perfect parents.Please take care of yourself, eat a balanced diet, rest, and exercise so that when we are together you have the patience and energy to take care of me. The cure for a fussy baby is more rest for Mum.Please take care of your relationship with each other. What good is family bonding if there is no family left for me to bond with?Keep the “Big Picture” in mind. I’ll be like this for a very short time, though it feels like forever to you now. Although I may have turned your life upside down, please remind yourselves that things will be back to normal before too long.Enjoy me – I will never be this little again.