• Home
  • About
  • Dis/ability
    • Ella’s Story
  • “This Is Ella” Book
  • Contact
  • About Me

    Hi, I’m Krista.

    Strategic communicator and storyteller.

    I am the wife of a very talented musician who takes me around the world in pursuit of excellence. Mama to Jakob, Audrey and Ella, who just happens to have Down Syndrome.
    And an aspiring disciple of Jesus, defender of the oppressed, writer, graphic designer and photographer.

    I write and speak on navigating through the fog of life…you know, when things don’t go exactly as planned and am fuelled by a passion to amplify the voices of those on the margins…
    oh, and coffee…lots of coffee.

  • Sign up for my Newsletter

  • Home
  • About
  • Dis/ability
    • Ella’s Story
  • “This Is Ella” Book
  • Contact

On Imperfect Parenting.

January 5, 2012

If you want to see me flee the scene in a real hurry just bring up parenting. I love talking, I love writing about anything…but parenting. Ask me about Down Syndrome, or food, photography, or travel and I could go on for hours but ask me about parenting and…..well that’s about it. Perhaps, it is because I am still in denial about being a parent. Sure, I have kids but being responsible for the wellness of a human being with the pressure of turning them out to be upstanding contributing members of society, devoted believers and successful leaders…No way! I have nothing to offer. I can offer no expertise.
In fact, I find the whole outfit a little exhausting. And I am not even talking about what they will turn out to be like as adults, I am talking about the pressure of remembering to get them to brush their teeth, or making sure they get enough iron, or calcium or vegetables, or  sitting with Jakob and doing his reading for school, or putting oil in Ella’s ears so that they won’t get clogged with wax and she’ll be able to hear properly so that her speech patterns will develop properly so that when it’s time to go to school she will be ready…Some days, I just can’t handle it. And it’s not that it is about remembering because I am the queen of lists and schedules but the bottom line is that I just get tired….and lazy and I just don’t want to.

Does anyone else know what I am talking about?

But before we even get to physical needs there are emotional needs. Making sure they are getting enough verbal affirmation, physical affection, encouragement to be confident, secure individuals. I heard somewhere that two-thirds of what we say to our children is instructional.
“Do this”
“Get your shoes on”
“Eat your supper”
“Go to bed”

A child needs to be nurtured at home. A child needs to have structure. You shouldn’t let your baby cry it out. You need to put down your foot and enforce. You need to train your child. You need to discipline your child. You shouldn’t spank your child. You should use positive reinforcement….

Sure, I had opinions too. I thought that babies should not be reliant on soothing aids therefore my child WAS NOT going to have a pacifier. Yeah, that lasted three, agonizing days of NON-STOP crying until I caved and bought a soother…(actually my mom brought it over late one night when I was ready to throw in the towel). My child is FOUR and still sucks on his shirt and chews his toys. Today, I even caught him chewing on the cupboard. Can you say oral obsession?

There are books, but really, has Dr. Dobson ever met my children? And does the sleep whisperer know anything about Down Syndrome? Every child is different and not one book can cater to all types of children- I know because I have two polar opposites. They each come with their own personalities, talents, challenges and they come without an instruction manual.

So where is this going? How do you do it? I only have two children. Sometimes I think I am crazy for even considering the possibility of having more when I can’t even cover the basics for two. How do the mom’s that have 4 children, or 7 children or 10 children do it? How do you think straight?

More from my site

  • Missing AutumnMissing Autumn
  • Christmas in CambridgeChristmas in Cambridge
  • Back where it startedBack where it started
  • Happy nights equal happy morningsHappy nights equal happy mornings
  • It’s my birthday GIVEAWAY!It’s my birthday GIVEAWAY!
  • Putting the Gospel into action this Christmas Season.Putting the Gospel into action this Christmas Season.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Share

motherhood

Krista

Leave A Reply


Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • About Me

    Hi, I’m Krista.

    Strategic communicator and storyteller.

    I am the wife of a very talented musician who takes me around the world in pursuit of excellence. Mama to Jakob, Audrey and Ella, who just happens to have Down Syndrome.
    And an aspiring disciple of Jesus, defender of the oppressed, writer, graphic designer and photographer.

    I write and speak on navigating through the fog of life…you know, when things don’t go exactly as planned and am fuelled by a passion to amplify the voices of those on the margins…
    oh, and coffee…lots of coffee.

  • Search

  • Recent Posts

    • 2022: A Year of Compromise
      January 1, 2023
    • 10 Things I am Grateful for 1 Year Later
      May 24, 2022
    • Entering the Frigid Waters of 2022
      January 3, 2022
  • Find me here




Krista Ewert © Copyright 2021