Guilt.For some reason, I am one to experience this nasty feeling. Self-created as no one around me enforces it, but I remember recognizing it even at a young age. If things were going to well around me, I felt guilty. I really remember feeling it when I got my first adult-career-job. Post-college and all lined up, I was ready for a life free of balancing school AND work. So my career began. What happened? I liked it! I loved it and in a sense, I felt guilty for enjoying it and for the tasks to come easy to me.
Well, my career has changed now, and the guilt still resides. The problem now? It's labeled "Mommy Guilt". Anytime the television is on or my son eats deli-meat (don't get me started on the nitrates, sodium content and processing!), not being able to afford preschool or letting my baby eat Puffins while I run--it happens, the Mommy Guilt creeps in.
What now?
Well, a big believer of Baby Led Weaning, I never, I repeat, NEVER fed Carter a jar of baby food. I never pureed food for him. He never had fortified cereal. He went straight to the good stuff, what normal people eat. Everett arrives. I *start* the same way with Everett, with every intention of steaming veggies, preparing meals, and introducing palate-enticing entrees for our second-born.
Until one day.
I was driving home from a road trip realizing I had no food in the kitchen, no food stored in the freezer for Everett and it was Everett's dinner time upon arrival. I frantically call Jason. He offers to go buy some jarred food so we can quickly appease Everett's grueling appetite. I accept. "Just this one time".
The ease. Just twist, pop, feed.
No mess. What?
The ingredients, to my surprise: Organic sweet potatoes, water.
Why have I hidden from this the last 2 years?
So, now, every time I pop open one of these babies, the Mommy Guilt shadows upon me but fortunately the benefits of the jar far outweigh the guilt.
And the kid can still put down a piece of steak like no other.
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*ACK* Okay, I'm cracking up--as I went to double check the Baby Led Weaning website, I realized that the whole right side is something to do with breastfeeding (I don't know as it's all written in German, but the pictures explain themselves!), so unless you're okay with PG-13, don't visit the above link!