That Mommy Feeling

Just before the birth of my son in 2008, my sister told me that my father was worried because I didn't know anything about babies. He said I was going to need a lot of help. I couldn't believe he would say that about me.

The truth was, he was right. I had no experience with babies. I babysat when I was younger, but never kids in diapers. Everything I knew was from pregnancy books and the massive stacks of parenting magazines I kept buying.

Amazingly, as I'm sure many moms understand, after my son was born, something just took over inside of me. I like to think of it as my "momtuition." Yes, some of it I learned from the materials I was reading, but all of a sudden I had this sixth sense about what I was supposed to do to care for this child.

I couldn't have been prouder when my mom praised me during my son's first year of life for having "good instincts." She said it a number of times and it usually involved my actions when I thought my son was sick, but it meant the world to me.

I've never been responsible for another person's life and it's scary to think about not making the right decision. I shudder to think about the parents who intentionally harm and neglect their children. They have to be missing the feeling -- a truly remarkable feeling that I rely on every day.

I wonder how this feeling evolves as children grow up, out of diapers and into more complicated scenarios. Guess I will find out.