Physical Therapy

My ped agreed to physical therapy for D, and now I'm very torn about it. At a simple level there is the issue of time...my ped said it could end up being very time consuming, and that time would be babysitting or mom time I'd have to use because C couldn't come with me. I have limited help hours each week, and while I need to start adding more in for these things, I'd rather my alone time w/ D be fun.

At the next level my concern is that by sending D to PT I'm not letting her find her way to walking on her own. What if she is just getting there in her own time? My ped said she would normally wait until 18 mos but she was willing to start earlier. As painful as it is for me to watch her be frustrated, maybe it's what she needs to breakthrough?

At a high level, I am torn about what this says to D and about its implications on my parenting style. I believe that toddlers, even babies, perceive a lot more than we might think. D knows she's behind C right now...if I send her to therapy, am I signaling to her that she needs to be more in line w/ C? Am I saying it isn't alright for her to be different? Am I being a good parent helping my child or a stage mom upset that her kid isn't in line w/ everyone else? Having preemies has taught me so much in terms of loving your children for who they are and not what they accomplish, but maybe I have my limit and I'm imposing it on her? Or I'm just tired of watching her struggle...but isn't that what parenting is all about?

If she were 18 months and my ped/the developmental center said "do it" I wouldn't think twice. On the flip side, if I didn't have some non-physical concerns about D, I'd probably wait the next two months before I got her into PT. But instead I sit somewhere in the middle, not sure whether I'm helping her get the help she needs early or preventing her from finding her way on her own. I know, this really isn't a huge deal, but how I handle it is kind of a big deal to me.

Then again, if PT includes a big blue exercise ball, C is going to wish she could get in on it too..:-)