If you're a mother or a daddy,aunt, uncle or retail store attendant, chances are, you would recognize the characters above. It would be impossible for you to not to. Each household with a kid has at least one of these. The Baby Einstein dvd's, books and all sort of stuff. Guilty. We have the whole set of 10. Got them when Alyssa was born. While I was desperately trying to lose the pregnancy weight doing my daily exercises, I would put 1 dvd on while Alyssa takes short peeks at it for the next 30 minutes. I didn't force her, mind you. But the colorful characters and soothing voice of the lady made her look. 30 minutes of tv time was all we allowed her before the age of 2. But by her 1st birthday, she was speaking fluent English already. We never baby talked to her either. We give half the credit to the dvd's (to CNN and BBC too...). Dora came much later. I had been aware of the dispute of a vigilant group against Disney, the holders of The Baby Einstein. Claiming that the dvd's didnt help their kids become geniuses at all. Hmmm...so they took down the word 'educational' in all their labels and ads. They offered refunds for those interested. Oh, they had been offering refunds way before the lawsuit and all.

A lot of my friends have been using the dvd's with their kids and they are greatly satisfied. Common denominator? These moms watched the dvd's and interacted with their kids, just as the instruction before each show would suggest. AHA!!! There you go people. There you go vigilantes of the land of too much freedom. You don't leave your kid alone in front of the tv set while you go about doing whatever you need to do (to survive as you may argue, fine.). You interact. Your voice, your touch, your warmth helps. These dvds are never meant to be independent electronic babysitters! There is a 3-minute introduction before every show which tells us how to use the dvds. Listen to it.

So geniuses are not made. Sure, fine. But I surely would want to help my kids learn the basics with me, at home, before they go to school. In this day and age, you can't help but do just that. But there is absolutely no pressure, if you don't want to, it's ok. Not all moms are naturally equipped with the education on how to motivate their babies. Well I chose to learn how. I chose to buy the dvds. And I followed how it is how to be used. I knew I needed help in learning the potentials of my babies. But I surely didn't just leave them on the crib with the tv on for the next 30 minutes. Tv time is bad for babies under 2. I agree. I still let mine watch their share, before the age of 2. But highly supervised. Highly, strictly. Never did I not know what they were watching.

Oh well, you just can't please them all can you? Nobody's supposed to actually anyway. hehehe. I still stand behind the product. I am no way being paid to defend it. I just do, because I believe I was able to use it the right way in digging out my kid's potentials when they were still babies. That's my side of the argument.

How long can a mother hold her breath? Longer than imaginable.
Wednesday night Ava started showing signs of diarrhea. My keep-calm-be-on-alert mode automatically switches on. By 1am her fever suddenly went up to 39.8 C. These days one can never be sure what has stricken a 2-year-old. With a fever as high as that, it could be anything. And her tummy didnt sound right (you know, sounding like a hollow drum when you beat on it). By morning she was clearly dehydrated inspite of the hydrating powder I had been giving her. Somehow I knew she was going to be alright. And somehow I knew what I was supposed to do.
Apparently, not the people around me.
The doctor has seen her. Medications are underway. I knew the instructions by heart. After the viral infection in her tummy she gets a fast progressing asthma attack.
I just wanted to stop hearing those sympathetic worries all around me. You are worried, thank you. But those panicky advises and unsolicited suggestions no thank you. I dont want anyone to panic for me.
Because that's not going to help ME a bit.
I would love to sit and ride on the conversation of how pitiful my daughter looks and how weak she is, but I can't. I need to keep myself calm. Alert, vigilant and sane. She shouldnt have eaten this, shouldnt have eaten that. Duh. Dont I know that already.
Being totally calm and "professional" about the whole thing while at the same time gentle, caring and loving to a sick child is a feat I chose to take.
And I offer no apologies of my half cold, totally loving hospital-like attitude.
In times like this, presence of mind is most helpful.
I have no intentions of putting more fuel into other peoples' already useless rantings which I find such a nuisance.
Offer me your help, that I would appreciate.
Do not, in any way, criticize a mother who is holding her breath in taking care of her sick baby.
I do not choose to be some who chose to play the helpless parent in distress.
Who is in distress?
It is your child. Not you.
I find it useless for you to even talk to me about parenting when you do not know the dosage of the paracetamol for your own kid.
Go in peace. Leave me in peace. May you learn more. Pray.
I cannot play the crying mother of a sick child.
I would rather check my medicine schedule list, check on the medicine supply, wake up every 4 hours to check the temperature, give the dreaded medicines religiously, give Ava the warmest of warmest hugs when she coughs painfully, soothe her cheeks, craddle her in the wee hours of dawn for 4 straight days, patiently while firmly forcing her to eat some nutrition, at the same picking up Alyssa from school, checking her homework, help her build her Dora/Diego/Littlest Pet/Puppy in My Pocket cities in between.
If my parenting does not suit you, be it. You will not hear an apology from me.

And when you do call me at 3am because your child is with high fever, you can be assured I would be on your side even before you can say my name.

It is indeed a parent's privilege to go crazy and panicky but there is no need to insult me. I do get crazy and panicky sometimes, who wouldnt be. And if I chose to get over craziness and panic in 5 minutes to switch on to emergency mode, I believe I would be of greater help to my child and to the medical experts around me. Practical. And it does not mean it makes you less loving.

Go in peace. Leave in peace. Live in peace. Pray.