Parenting Pep Talk #28 – Bridie By The Sea

Parenting Pep Talk is a weekly series of guest posts all about encouraging other parents by sharing some of our happy moments, the advice that has worked for us and some positive words of encouragement.

 

Today’s post is from Bridget who blogs at Bridie By The Sea. Over to you, Bridget!

 

1) Tell us a little bit about you and your family.

Hello! My name is Bridget although a lot of people call me Bridie – I have a 15 month old called Emma and a 12 year old stepson, James. I suppose we are a blended family, but I just think of us as family, live in Brighton, East Sussex. My partner has lived here for 12 years and I moved down from London when I was pregnant with our little girl just over a year ago.

 

2) How would you describe your parenting style?

I like to think I take quite a positive approach to parenting…but some days it is quite testing as Emma continues to battle sleeping through the night. Emma does seem to respond better to the ‘carrot’ rather than the ‘stick’ though and hates being naughty or told off, so trying to positively coax her away from trying daredevil manoeuvres is the way forward for us!

 

3) What’s your favourite thing about being a parent?

It has to be the sound of Emma laughing, which is just the sweetest sound in the world. I also love hearing James and Emma play together; for a 12 year old, he is so endlessly patient with her and she absolutely hero-worships him in return. I’m looking forward to her learning a few words soon too…

 

4) What piece of advice have you been given that you found especially helpful?

Mummy Instinct rules over anything else so don’t worry too much as you’ll always find a way! I was surprised when someone told me this but there have been so many occasions, like when I caught a shooting poonami – avoiding a big stain on our cream carpet – where I felt Mummy Instinct had come into play.

 

5) What one piece of encouraging advice would you give to a new parent?

Run your own race. This is actually advice my Dad gave me many years ago, but it is so true. Try to remember to do your own thing, and not compare yourself to others as you’ll be doing fantastically well but may not realise it.

 

6) Can you share one of your favourite parenting moments?

When we were still in hospital and Emma’s half-brother James came to meet her for the first time. He held her nervously and I saw him say “I love you” privately to her. It’s been just so magical watching the bond they have together grow and grow.

 

7) Anything else that you would like to share to encourage other parents?

Always remember that everything is a phase and will pass eventually. It’s so important to remind yourself this in the sleep deprived months! As Emma is quite a tricky sleeper, I would really recommend The Gentle Sleep Book by Sarah Ockwell Smith as it gave me so much re-assurance that I’m not the only one and that ‘sleeping through’ can take a while for some babies.

I also love Constance Hall’s Facebook page for a little re-assurance when it’s most needed. In particular I loved this little quote she posted recently…we all need a bit of a positive pic-me-up sometimes and this is perfect!

 

Thank you Bridget for sharing your positive parenting moments and the advice you have found helpful.

 

You can connect with Bridget on the following social networks:

Twitter
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Google+

 

If you’d like to share some of your positive parenting moments on the Parenting Pep Talk, then let me know in the comments below and I’ll email you with more details.

 

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