The first few weeks of being a new mother are bad. Real bad. Motherhood in itself is a huge sacrifice. Add leaky breasts, sore nipples, lack of sleep and lack of food, and you're a ticking time bomb waiting to happen. But one thing your nana/grandma/mom/sister/friend forget to tell you, is that babies cry. Sure, when you were round, and glowing with the lil one you thought, haha, you thought that your "sweet pea" would only cry from hunger, or a messy diaper. Set colic aside, babies cry a hella lot. Especially, it would seem, when you are in public. Oh don't worry, no one told me that either.

My (now) five month old son Jayden cries alot, and I'll be the first to admit, it drives me nuts. Oh sure, on the bus he's a perfect angel. "He's so handsome!" old ladies exclaim. Sure, lady wait till you see him turn red, with snot dripping from his nose, and pablum spewing from his lips. It's such a beautiful picture, yes? He'll wait, the little bugger. He will wait until mommay (that's me) is sitting peacefully with my cup of tea in the morning, and because I dare to be in another room I am awakened from my lovely daydreaming to his frantic screams. Nice. Even when I make dinner, or answer the phone, or dammit go to the bathroom, Jayden starts bawling down the house like a banshee. It seems that he has reached the seperation anxiety stage. Oh lawd help me please.

What makes this even more stressful to poor, unknowing mothers like myself, is when we are in public, and the baby decides to freak out. I mean God forbid, our lil innocents cries should offend passerby's sensitive ears. Like, the other day when I DARED to do the grocery shopping. Normally, this would be somewhat soothing to my calm nature, what with the air conditioning, elevator muzac, and aisles, and aisles of products to choose from. Unfortunately, my timing was bad, and Jayden was sleepy. I was determined to get the few items I needed, and so, despite Jayden's flat out sobs and screams, I frantically searched for food. 'Damn, a whole chicken for 3 dollars???' I thought happily, as I started piling them in the bottom of the stroller. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I see Grandma staring me down. "I'm going to pay for them, I just put them in the bottom because I don't have 10 hands", joke to her good naturedly. "The baby is crying. Pick him up." Before I could get all ghetto fabulous on her, I turned and finished my groceries, while holding Jayden, and pushing the stroller.

Now, some sensitive types, might agree with the nice old lady, that indeed I should have picked up Jayden from the minute he started crying. I, on the other hand, think that is a smelly pile of crap. First of all, I KNOW my baby's cries alright? If Jayden was hungry, or hurt, or scared, I would not hesitate to pick him up and soothe him. In this case, Jayden was tired. He cries when he is tired, it doesn't matter if he is strapped to my breast, or if we are at home. Jayden will cry because he is miserable when he is tired. So there. I was not about to stop my errand running, or leave the store to soothe a baby that was unwilling to be soothed, or ease some strange granny's nerves.

The point is, somehow society finds it unnatural for babies and children to cry. How many mothers have ran, heads ducked from restraunts, pharmacies, and assorted public places because their children needed a good cry? Why do we, as mothers, feel it is a failure on our parts if our children cry? It is a natural part of their growth, and communication development, for them to cry. It is a stress reliever, it tires them out and puts them to sleep. I would be damned worried if Jayden didn't cry, and just stared mutely at the world around him. When he gets into one of his many "moods", I make no effort to hush him. I just quietly whisper to him to, "cry it out". Does it get on my nerves? Yes. But, I realize it is more important to teach my son, from this age, how to let his frustrations out in a way God intended, rather than to hold it in, for the sake of appearances. I encourage you to do the same, and save yourself the cost of a child psychiatrist, and prescription pills for Ritalin, and Prozac.

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