Mom knows best, right? Well, maybe not all the time. In a recent interview, Jessa Duggar Seewald revealed that, as much as she admires her mom, she is doing things her own way when it comes to raising her son.
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Spurgeon Seewald is 5 months old, and together with her husband, Ben Seewald, Jessa is figuring out that parenting is never a “one size fits all” adventure. Jessa admitted that in her first five months of motherhood, she has spent a lot of time hitting up her mom, Michelle Duggar, for advice on all things child-rearing. Still, both she and her mom strongly believe it is important for new moms to figure out their own style of raising their kids.
“There will be variations with the little things here and there,” Jessa explained in a US Weekly interview, "but I know that our foundational goals remain the same — to raise our kids to love God and be a blessing to others.”
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When you respect and love your mother the way Jessa does, it might be even more challenging to break away from the way you were raised to do things your own way. In fact, this seems to be a common struggle for new moms. Even parenting practices that are getting negative feedback, such as spanking, are still being observed by many mothers because their mothers spanked them as a child, according to a study by Ohio State University.
Still, it doesn't seem that mothers are simply mimicking the practices used by their parents when they were growing up. A similar study by Wellesley College found that even though many mothers are repeating their parents' choices, a significant percentage is breaking the mold by allowing children more freedom to express their opinions or to make their own decisions.
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For new moms like Jessa, it may be difficult to go with your gut when making decisions about parenting, especially if that means choosing differently from your mother. There is nothing wrong with calling up Mom for some advice; however, doing things your own way is an important part of learning confidence in your abilities as a parent. Every family is different, and a unique approach to raising a family that accounts for the different personalities and lifestyles in your home is really the secret to thriving during this season of life.
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