Adopt-a-mom

It's true, Kitty-Time is still recovering from the great Nanny Drama of '07. Baby Happy Hour is already lined up for this evening. 5:15pm sharp. Chez moi. All are welcome if you are in the area. And for any preggos out there, you ought to have a drink too. Don't be ridiculous. Some wine is good for you, so long as you are out of your first tri.
C'est vrai. Kitty-time is not a doctor. But don't doubt me.

Drinking is not meant to be the subject of today's entry, however. The subject is the Adopt-a-mom program. While it's framework is not like the Adopt-A-Pet program from your local Petsmart, it's not all-together that different, except the mom you adopt is the boss of you, not the other way around.

Every mom, especially new mom's, need to adopt-a-mom who has children older than yours. If you are wondering why, you either don't have children yet, or you are too stubborn to know everything you don't know.

Kitty-time calls it like she sees it. No one knows all the tricks. ESPECIALLY new moms.

New mom's, by kitty-time's definition, are those with babies under the age of 8 months.

By 8 months, you've been through some bouts of teething, you've endured nap time drama, you've endured some kind of sickness (hopefully just a cold), you've returned to work and know how that changes the balance of your home, and you're ready to face down the daunting task of baby mobility.

Until that point, you are still a new mom.

After that point, you still need your adopted mom. Don't get too cocky, now. Kitty-time will admitt she darted from Babies'R'Us like a scared preggo last weekend....completely overwhelmed by the choices of baby gates and is only able to face down this struggle with the help of some adopted moms.

Why do we all need to adopt-a-mom? It's quite simple. You are taking on a new job with motherhood. One that you have zero qualifications for. One that you might even be wondering if you're fit for (fyi - the answer is you're not, at first). Babies do a lot of things...but they throw curveballs better than a professional baseball player. And mom's with kids older than yours - they've been there.

Sure, every baby is different. Yadda yadda yadda. But setting that aside, the mom you adopt isn't as sleep deprived or as attached to your baby as you are, therefore, she might think of something that just didn't occur to you. Also, she is not as emotional about the situation as you are and might help bring some much needed perspective and humor to the crisis.

What sort of qualifications sh0uld you look for when adopting a mom?

-Similar parenting styles. Some are more anal than others. Some are more structured than others. You must adopt a mom who has a similar approach as yours.
- A proven track record. When did they get their baby to sleep through the night? How did they handle naps? Now. Don't go challenging a mom who has achieved more than you by virtue of having an older child. But if her kid still isn't sleeping through the night by 12 months...well...Kitty time recommends you adopt another mom.
- A good sense of humor. You need to adopt a mom who will make you laugh when you need it, particularly if you don't know it.

Kitty-time feels that there is too much negative banter out there about mommy wars, stay-at-home moms ridiculing working moms, etc etc. All of that is nonsense. We only judge those with a bad fashion sense and Republicans here at Kitty-time. We don't judge working moms or stay-at-home moms. So, in an effort to counter some of that negative mom-against-mom speak - I will be the first to tell you that I couldn't have survived the beginning without the mom's that I adopted. OF course, my own mother is one of the first ones I adopted. But there were others...I learned invaluable tricks and they provided me the reassurance that everything would workout in the end. I needed that.

And so..go forth dear readers....and adopt-a-mom. I guarantee, she'll be glad to help.