Observations on Daughter as Mother

"This is the first time I've stayed in this room since I got married." Jill pointed out when I brought her home from the airport last Friday. We were up in "her" room getting the portacrib set up for Deven and getting her unpacked.

Had it really been that long? Her last night in that bed was May 29, 1998.

But there has been no reason for her to stay here -- up until May of this year, she and Derrick lived in a lovely loft on S. Michigan Ave in the city. And now they are Floridians. (At least they are Floridians when they are here -- when in Florida, they are Chicagoans, and true Bears fans.)

So this was the first time I had really had an opportunity to observe her as a mother over an extended period of time.

Quite frankly, I think she gets an A+. She's a super mom. She's loving and patient with Deven. She doesn't push past his boundaries. She recognizes when he is tired and needs a nap or to go to bed. She doesn't make mealtimes a battle, though I wouldn't call Deven the world's most voracious eater. When she was a bit slow getting him up to his crib one afternoon, he beat her up there, and was waiting for her to "put" him to bed.

Deven responds to this positive parenting. He only required two time outs when he was here....pretty good for a 27 month old and an entire week. There was (maybe) one small tantrum. (Grammies are very good at forgetting that sort of thing).

We did discuss how much easier it is to teach good manners ("What do you say when you want something, Deven?" "Pwease." "That's right!" "Can you say hi to Miss Nancy?" "Hi to Miss Nawncy." "Good job, Deven!") when you have only one child to concentrate on rather than two less than two years apart.

Things will get tougher when a second one comes along. But she's laid an excellent foundation.

Yup -- my Jilly is a GREAT mother!!