I was doing it wrong. That’s what the tiny voice inside me warned. I doubted all my parenting choices from how often to nurse at night to what kind of socks my kid should wear. Being a first-time mom had my head spinning with everything I had to consider. I tried ignoring the voice that told me all my instincts were off, but it judged my every choice. Maybe there was a postnatal supplement that could boost my parenting confidence along with my breast milk? Would my new mom nervousness ever go away?
After a few weeks of reading aloud, I caught myself thinking in the afternoon about what books we might choose in the evening. Instead of playing out every doomsday book-reading scenario where I unwittingly picked the wrong picture book and scarred my kid for life, I felt relaxed.
Maybe it made sense, as reading had always been a favorite pastime of mine. As a kid, I’d sneak away to a comfy corner of my room and get lost in a good book. And over the years, this hadn’t changed much except I outgrew small corners. Cradling my son in one hand and holding a book in the other felt, well, natural.
Using my voice to connect us, I was surprised I’d found a way to connect to myself, too.
It offered me an opportunity to step out of my new mom worries to a familiar place of calm. Studies show reading aloud can increase the bond between parent and baby, but I never thought settling down with a good board book would help ground me and create a confidence I could carry while parenting my son.
