Is she normal?

Alright. Forget that. I already know my kid isn't normal. I mean, look at her parents!

But there are days that I wonder if she is normal on the developmental scale. I know no two kids are the same and each child develops at their own pace. But hey, I'm new at this. Maybe I should ask if I'm developing as a mommy normally?

That answer is probably no. Who knows? I do know that I am the biggest worrier I've ever met, minus my boss. He will win that contest every time. And I know that I am always comparing myself to others. And that leads me to compare Bean to other kids. Is that fair? Heck no. Does that make me stop doing it? Heck no.

My latest worry is that Bean must have ADD or be one of those "hard to manage" kids. Why do I think that? Well, she won't stay still. Yep. That's it. That's the reason. She's 17 months old and she won't stay still. I know from the outside looking in that I'm crazy. I know that. But here on the inside, it all makes perfect sense to me.

See, the reason that I think there's something wrong with Bean is that today on my break, I was reading a very highly regarded parenting magazine...a/k/a People Magazine. (Hold your rotten tomatoes for a minute.) And in said magazine, there was a blurb about a celebrity mom that took their 17 month-old child to one of those pottery places where you can paint your own bowl or plate or what-have-you.

This got me to thinking about The Bean. I cannot for the life of me imagine me taking Bean to one of these places. I can't imagine a pottery place having enough insurance to cover our visit. I know how it would go...

"Bean, sit down in the chair."

"Bean, don't eat the paint."

"Bean, don't paint me."

"Bean, don't paint that little boy."

"Bean, get down off of that shelf."

"Bean, please stop throwing those plates."

You see what I mean. It would be a disaster. But that got me to thinking. Why can this mom do those things with her child who is the exact same age as mine? I just know that this celebrity spawn did not make a mess, did not fuss or whine, and probably painted something Picasso would be proud of. I just know it.

And I know that The Bean would just have a good time sticking her fingers in the paint and then sticking her fingers in her nose. I know this. So this must be why there is something wrong with my child's development. Maybe I should call the pediatrician to see how young you can start kids on Ritalin?

I need to stop obsessing and let my child be a child, right? I need to take it one day at a time, one "get down off of that" at a time, and not worry about something until there is something to worry about. That's what I need to do but I'm having a hard time computing that on the inside.