Such pressure, so young

When did there become such obvious pressure for babies to meet milestones by certain ages?

A member of my playroom on JustMommies posted a list of milestones infants should reach by 10, 11 & 12 months old - a bulk of these seemed very 'agressive' - things that Gaby (who was/is perfectly normal developmentally) wasn't doing until 2-3 months after those ages.  It really wound me up and made me angry - not the member who had posted it, but the fact that it became so glaringly obvious to me in THAT moment, that there is pressure placed on children from the moment they're born.  I am not meaning pressure from parents - but just general pressure from certain areas of society.

THAT sort of list is what makes first time Moms/Dads (or Moms/Dads in general) worry without real reason - and can cause the Mom/Dad to miss out on a whole lot of amazing moments with their baby, because they're so concerned that something is OBVIOUSLY wrong because they're not running marathons at 14 months. Exaggeration? Yes - just like a whole bunch of the milestones on that list.

Whatever happened to just appreciating your child as they are???? Taking pleasure in the small things, feeling all loved up & enjoying your time as a parent? If you're constantly walking around with a check list, you're missing out on a lot of special moments in your childs life... YES, we need to be aware of what to look out for that may indicate our children aren't developing to a 'normal' schedule - but at the same time, we need to be aware of the fact each child develops individually & to their OWN schedule, and even if a child is 'behind' - they're still dang special... THE CHILD - as a whole - should be what the focus is on, not what they can/can't do.

& now I'm going to go and kiss my child who can't build a tower with 3 blocks & doesn't play chase - and appreciate her for being her own cheeky, adorable, sweet, beautiful little self.