Parenting

When did I become a gushing mummy?

March 9, 2015

Before I had my own baby, I saw mothers going ga-ga over their offspring and wondered, in that slightly awkward British way, why they couldn’t keep a lid on all that gushing until they were in the privacy of their own home. The coy smiles exchanged when their child engaged in any way with a third party; the cutesy one-sided conversations full of ‘you’re the best… yes you are’; the unwavering, laser-beam attention to and wholehearted approval of absolutely everything that the baby did – these ‘excesses’ weren’t going to happen to me when I was in their position. I just wasn’t that type of person.

Now picture me giving a hollow laugh – feel free to laugh along if you like.

A gushy post about babies for Mother's Day | Everyday30.com
Of course, now that I am a mother, I am an unbearable one. A stranger told me early on that even though you think you love your newborn, you only grow to love them more as they get older – and it’s true. The more time you spend with them and the more they develop their personality, the more addicted you become. The better I’ve got to know Oscar, the more I’ve fallen head over heels for him. He’s been my sidekick for more than 14 months now, and I’ve grown used to wandering around in a bubble that perfectly fits us two, and to hell with the outside world. Just over one year in, I’m already at the stage where I think he’s the most beautiful / funny / caring / [insert adjective here] little character ever to exist. There’s no going back.

Now, on the train to nursery, it’s me smiling pathetically at strangers when Oscar waves at them or does something ‘cute’ (a broad umbrella term for anything from raising an eyebrow to burping or even full-on nappy filling). Even on bad days, his screwed up pickled-onion face makes me giggle, his grumpy just-woken-up expression makes me forget how difficult it was to get him to sleep in the first place (though not any more, thankfully!), and his public whining brings out my protective side, so that when he’s trying to rifle through someone’s bag or grabbing for their phone or screaming in their face, I’m outwardly patting and shushing and scolding but inwardly daring anyone to even THINK of evil-eyeing him.

I know why this happens – quite apart from a primal need to see our offspring blossom, there’s the modern cult of motherhood that endorses such behaviour and attitudes. What I can’t work out is why, as a halfway intelligent and educated person, I can’t be more objective about my son. Other people’s babies are lovely, cute and cuddly, but their every blink and babble doesn’t enthral me in the same way as those of my own child. Objectively, I know that this is true of any non-relative who looks at or spends time with Oscar, but some peculiarly hard-wired hormones prevent me from truly believing that this could actually be the case. I just love everything about him.

Because despite the hardships, it’s just such a pleasure and such a privilege bringing up a child. Those sleepless months of round-the-clock care are molecules that make up an unbreakable chemical bond between you and your baby; every day, like some sort of live time-lapse sequence, you see them build on something they learnt the day before, until suddenly they’re smiling, or sitting up, or throwing a ball, or taking their first bite of proper food, or calling your name, or running across the room. All that energy, all that patience, all that effort channelled into one person in the form of unconditional love – how could it not end up skewing your perception? And how could demonstrating that love to your child on a regular basis really be a bad thing? Perhaps this out-and-out love-in is a form of self-love (or at least self-preservation), since you’ve nurtured and protected and shaped them since birth.

So I’ve given into all that love. I couldn’t give a hoot if strangers judge me for getting gooey over Oscar. I’ll do anything to raise one of his throaty giggles – and then I expect EVERYBODY within hearing distance to stop in their tracks, turn in wonder and gaze upon him, smitten. I’ll happily chatter to him when we’re out and about without worrying about sounding vacant or self-important (or both). I try to keep the gushing low-key; I really do. But the line between public and private forms of gushing is fast becoming invisible.

Are you ga-ga for your baby? It’s Mother’s Day this Sunday – so feel free to let it all out!

P.S. What giving birth is really like, How to survive the first three months of parenthood, and Seven questions not to ask a new mother.

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6 Comments

  • sabrina.m.russo@gmail.com'
    Reply Sabrina March 9, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    This is so sweet and funny Nicky, I’ve had the same unlikely conversion. I try and stifle it; I am consciously self-deprecating (or child-deprecating) about him, with others, to balance out all the extreme pride – “well, you know, he’s not really walking yet, and he does have tantrums, and sometimes he makes a face and spits out the food I’ve lovingly prepared for him” but it’s all I can do to stop myself from saying “BUT HE’S A GENIUS! And he’s HILARIOUS! And he’s AMAZING! Smartest, cutest, chubbiest, funniest little person in the WORLD!” Haha. Simon and I bond over this now. We used to discuss how tired and broken we felt. Now we put him to bed, and even on tough day’s when he’s worn our patience thin, we come downstairs again and give each other a look that can only be described as quietly smug, and we don’t have to say anything – we know what the other one is thinking: OUR KID IS SO AWESOME! HIGH FIVE! #WINNING! And then we laugh because it’s embarrassing to be so biased and just, bloated, with love. Lame but true. And it beats all the newborn self-doubt and anxiety.

    • Reply Nicky March 12, 2015 at 8:23 am

      But Theo IS some kind of mathematical genius, let’s be honest – he already knows all of his numbers! Oscar and I are very impressed. Thanks for your comment – I knew it wasn’t just me! Hopefully we can keep our gushing in check as they get older, gulp… x

  • Reply Rachel March 11, 2015 at 9:35 am

    When George has learnt something new, like his colours for example, I’m so proud (and secretly convinced he’s a genius), that I find myself almost showing off in public. ‘What colour is that bus George?’ Of course, he never plays dice! Serves me right for being such a smug mummy!

    • Reply Nicky March 12, 2015 at 8:24 am

      Yes I do that too, even though Oscar only says da-da at the moment (which can mean dog, duck or breadstick depending on the context)!

  • jenny@letstalkmommy.com'
    Reply Jenny March 17, 2015 at 12:17 pm

    This is so lovely and cute. I NEVER thought I would be that gushy, baby talking momma. I am for sure to both of mine. I love that we can find what our children do even if it’s simple the most amazing thing in the world. I think life is too short not to enjoy all those amazing things too. Lovely post. I hope to see you again tomorrow for another great round. Thank you so much for linky up to Share With Me #sharewithme

    • Reply Nicky March 23, 2015 at 7:28 pm

      It’s true – all the simple things are amazing to us, I suppose because we’re seeing someone grasping them for the first time. Oscar’s latest thing is beckoning me over for a hug – I can’t get enough of it! x

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