The Ridiculous Pressure of Baby’s First Holiday
As a new mom, I find myself constantly astounded by the mountain of expectations that modern parents are supposed to scale, especially when it comes to celebrating our baby's first holidays. The pressure to create picture-perfect moments seems to have reached new heights, leaving me feeling incredulous about the unrealistic standards set for new parents.
In today's image-driven society, there's an unspoken rulebook for each holiday, dictating what parents should do, right down to how the baby should be dressed for the occasion. It's as if our little ones are expected to have a more extensive wardrobe than we do, with outfits that cost a small fortune and, ironically, are often less comfortable than their everyday attire. The absurdity of this situation becomes glaringly obvious when you realize that these adorable, albeit expensive, outfits are often worn for just a few hours, or worse, a few minutes, before they are soiled, and typically only the one day.
Take Halloween, for example. My baby was a mere 4 months old, and I found myself scratching my head, wondering how on earth I was supposed to create a memorable first Halloween experience for him. He was too young to trick-or-treat, much less even eat candy. And, due to where we live, we don’t receive trick-or-treaters.
I didn’t feel like dressing him up in an elaborate costume. Or worse, doing a family costume just for us to sit in the living room all night. Baby’s first Halloween was going to be just another Tuesday.
My best friend convinced me to go for a trending Halloween picture – placing my little one inside a carved pumpkin. It was an adorable sight, a naked baby snugly nestled inside the pumpkin.
However, the response I received from the ever-watchful eyes of social media was far from the warm reception I had expected. "It's too cold," they said, "Put some clothes on him." Never mind that we were in Tennessee, where the weather was pleasantly warm, and my little one was perfectly comfortable. It seemed that everyone had an opinion on what my baby should wear despite the practicality of the situation.
The pressure to document every moment on social media only adds to the stress. Posting a picture of my baby's first holiday has become a ritual expected by friends, family, and even strangers online. While it makes sense for significant end-of-the-year holidays like Christmas and Hanukkah, the expectation to create a grand spectacle for each monthly holiday is both exhausting and unnecessary.
What many fail to realize is that these holidays, especially during the first year, are more for the parents than the baby. Infants don't have the capacity to understand or remember these events, and the pressure to meet society's expectations often overshadows the joy of simply being present with our little ones.
The expectations placed on new parents to create these picture-perfect moments not only add unnecessary pressure but also detract from the genuine experiences we should be cherishing. Instead of getting caught up in the frenzy of elaborate outfits and extravagant celebrations, let's focus on creating meaningful memories with our babies, free from the constraints of societal pressures.
So, to all the new parents out there, let's take a collective deep breath and remember that our babies don't need extravagant outfits or grand holiday celebrations. They need our love, care, and presence. Let's redefine the narrative, focusing on the joy of parenthood and the precious moments we share with our little ones, regardless of how they're dressed or whether they make it onto social media. After all, these genuine moments are the ones that truly matter and will be cherished for a lifetime.
