Being a parent is hard. You hear this all the time and don't think much of it but then all of sudden you're doing all those things your parents did that seemed impossible. I remember growing up and thinking back I never once thought about bills or my next meal or where I was going to sleep. It was a given. My parents took care of it.
Then wham, bam, body slam you're a grown-up and all those impossibilities become mandatory. Becoming pregnant and preparing to be a parent seems hard. Daddy's have to step up and be providers. Mommy's have to deal with heartburn, stretch marks, and the unavoidable pain of childbirth.
And then it gets really hard. You think nothing could be harder and scarier than those first weeks when your whole world begins to be enveloped by a tiny, fragile creature that is your sole responsibility. I remember my husband saying on the day we took our daughter home, "Are they really going to let us take her home alone?"
Yeah, they really were. And she definitely did not come with a handbook of any kind. Someone should take care of that. Instant millionaire in the making.
I say being a parent is hard because after those few fragile weeks, you really start to realize that your life is not your own anymore. Say goodbye to long, luxurious bubble baths and hello to never having a clean home for the next 18 years of your life. I think it's just impossible to learn how incredibly selfless you have to be to be a good parent until you are faced with the real thing.
I'm learning a lot about myself as a mom now that I am faced with 24/7 duty for an indefinite future. No babysitters when you're 1400 miles from home. Not that I don't love it, I do. I'm a stay at home mom. I'm used to it. It's just that you find yourself facing some serious questions about yourself as a parent.
Can I do this? Am I doing it right? Do I play with her enough? Is she learning fast enough? How do people deal with more than one???
I don't know the answers to these questions. I doubt there is a right answer for them. You just do the best you can. A lot of times I'm disappointed in myself and jealous of other mother's out there. You know the ones that make all their own baby food, can think up the most amazing crafts, can bake cookies and dinner in high heels and a smile. This is not me. I don't know crap about how to make baby food. I can't knit or be crafty. And it takes me at least 3 tries to make an edible recipe.
But I'm coming to realize that it's okay. You see, parents were successful long before pinterest envy and the baby bullet invention. Like children, every good mom or dad is different. If you love your child more than anything else in the world and put all your selfish tendencies to the side and just focus on what's best for them and your family, it doesn't matter if you can make a homemade Halloween costume.
It really doesn't. Being the best parent you can be is defined by the amount of love and attention you give your kid. I don't have the recipe for success as a parent. I'm young and I'm just getting started. But I do know that to be a good parent is not impossible. We're going to mess up. We're going to get it wrong sometimes. It's alright though. If you do the best you can and show them you love and care for them everyday, you will have done your job.
Like I said, being a parent is hard. Being a loving and caring parent is not.
Then wham, bam, body slam you're a grown-up and all those impossibilities become mandatory. Becoming pregnant and preparing to be a parent seems hard. Daddy's have to step up and be providers. Mommy's have to deal with heartburn, stretch marks, and the unavoidable pain of childbirth.
And then it gets really hard. You think nothing could be harder and scarier than those first weeks when your whole world begins to be enveloped by a tiny, fragile creature that is your sole responsibility. I remember my husband saying on the day we took our daughter home, "Are they really going to let us take her home alone?"
Yeah, they really were. And she definitely did not come with a handbook of any kind. Someone should take care of that. Instant millionaire in the making.
I say being a parent is hard because after those few fragile weeks, you really start to realize that your life is not your own anymore. Say goodbye to long, luxurious bubble baths and hello to never having a clean home for the next 18 years of your life. I think it's just impossible to learn how incredibly selfless you have to be to be a good parent until you are faced with the real thing.
I'm learning a lot about myself as a mom now that I am faced with 24/7 duty for an indefinite future. No babysitters when you're 1400 miles from home. Not that I don't love it, I do. I'm a stay at home mom. I'm used to it. It's just that you find yourself facing some serious questions about yourself as a parent.
Can I do this? Am I doing it right? Do I play with her enough? Is she learning fast enough? How do people deal with more than one???
I don't know the answers to these questions. I doubt there is a right answer for them. You just do the best you can. A lot of times I'm disappointed in myself and jealous of other mother's out there. You know the ones that make all their own baby food, can think up the most amazing crafts, can bake cookies and dinner in high heels and a smile. This is not me. I don't know crap about how to make baby food. I can't knit or be crafty. And it takes me at least 3 tries to make an edible recipe.
But I'm coming to realize that it's okay. You see, parents were successful long before pinterest envy and the baby bullet invention. Like children, every good mom or dad is different. If you love your child more than anything else in the world and put all your selfish tendencies to the side and just focus on what's best for them and your family, it doesn't matter if you can make a homemade Halloween costume.
It really doesn't. Being the best parent you can be is defined by the amount of love and attention you give your kid. I don't have the recipe for success as a parent. I'm young and I'm just getting started. But I do know that to be a good parent is not impossible. We're going to mess up. We're going to get it wrong sometimes. It's alright though. If you do the best you can and show them you love and care for them everyday, you will have done your job.
Like I said, being a parent is hard. Being a loving and caring parent is not.