What Would it be Like?

I have been thinking lately about what it would be like to parent without outside pressures or influences. What if there were no books, or parenting magazines, or competitive friends telling us how we "should" parent? What if we just followed our hearts, and did what we felt was best for our children and our family? What if I trusted that my children would do things in their own time, would hit milestones when they should, rather than putting pressure on them to do things on the same timeline that other children do?
What if every time my children misbehaved, or pitched a fit, or bit me on the face (oh yes, Grayson did this just today), I didn't think...what would so and so do? How did that article say I should handle this? What did that book say?!!!! What if I just took a deep breath, said a prayer, and handled it how I knew in my heart was right? And of course, from time to time lots of times, I would mess up. But it would be okay, because I'm human, and I wouldn't have any books, or articles, or the "perfect" Mommy screaming in the back of my mind that I DID IT WRONG! Instead I would make it right, forgive myself, and move on.

What would that look like? How would my parenting differ from what it is now? I have been challenging myself to try to parent this way, but I tell you, it's hard. It's hard to let go of all the influence and the pressure. It's hard to make decisions based solely on how I feel my children should be parented, and not on everything I have read and heard and seen. But I'm trying, and I will keep trying. For their sake, and for mine.


*While this post was still sitting in drafts, I came across this post by Sarah Markley that asked similar questions, only on a broader scale. Please take a minute to read it. I love her writing. *