To anyone who reads this blog, and graced me with their presence to shower me with love when I was expecting Colton 5 1/2 years ago -- I'm talking to you. You obviously didn't love me then. You all told me how WONDERFUL being a mother was. How ADORABLE our baby would be. How we would snuggle and cuddle, how my heart would melt when they coo at me, or smile for the first time. You coo'ed and giggled as I opened adorable little teeny tiny baby outfits that all smelled of Johnson's baby soap. You talked about how fun they are when they start talking, and walking and reaching new milestones.
It was all grins and giggles that day...ooh's and ahh's. Surely you were snickering at my innocence as you ate your cake, took your baby bootie filled with candy and left the party that day. SURELY.
Because although I did have the blessed opportunity to encounter everything mentioned above...not one single one of you told me the FLIP SIDE of being a mother. You didn't mention that...
-- although their would be snuggling and cuddling, there would also be wrastling, fussing, and just plain not happy rocking chair time.
-- no matter how adorable your kids are, some days, they'll still appeal to me in the same way that nails on a chalkboard appeals to me.
-- although you all showered me with adorable outfits, that would only mean I would never stop doing laundry ever again. EVER. It's never ending. EVER.
-- once they can talk and say cute things, they can also argue and talk back and say things that are totally embarassing.
-- once they start being mobile (walking, crawling, rolling over), they also become destructive little animals who are into EVERYTHING around the house.
-- one day, when your kids are 3 & 5, they would think that pulling the plug on the sink and letting the water run endlessly (and eventually over the edge of the sink) would be the most fun thing they'd done in their entire lives. Regardless of the mess.
-- my SON would be the one who I fight with on a DAILY BASIS about what he's wearing. And that I'd have to argue with him, and be a total nag to make him learn a lesson that if he cuts a hole in a BRAND NEW sweatshirt with scissors at school.....that he would still have to wear that sweatshirt, regardless of how "dumb" it made him look. Because there's a lesson to be learned here.
-- that my DAUGHTER would scream. A lot. If you didn't help her. If you did help her. Because you looked at her. Because she's happy. Because she's mad. She just likes to scream.
-- that my 3rd child, a son, would be so even keeled and go with the flow. Like the kid even has a CHOICE in the matter. But that sometimes, he'd flat get sick of being so go with the flow and would chose to FLIP OUT until I gave him proper attention.
-- that my kids would likely give me gray hairs at a young age. (Okay, that might be hereditary too, but dang it....)
-- I'm not even going to list all the things you never told me about labor and delivery. I've learned that the reason those stories aren't shared, is because no one would ever have a baby, if they actually knew how it happened. I'm hoping that 10 years from now, my kids will still buy the ole, "God put the baby in there, and the Doctor got the baby out" story. They will. Right?
-- being a mom is all about teaching (aka...being a NAG). Nonstop. Don't do this, pick up that, stay out of that, don't go there, why'd you do that, you know better, what were you thinking, are you kidding me, leave her/him alone, quit screaming, use your inside voice, stop running, hurry up.....this list could go on. And ya'll didn't mention ANY OF IT.
-- some days would be good, and some days would be hard. And that some days I'd feel like super mom and some days I'd feel like a huge failure. You didn't mention that when we chose to have more than one, that I'd have to share my heart equally with all of those kids, and my husband, and myself, and my family, and my friends, and that finding balance in life, isn't easy.
-- managing work outside the home, with work at the home, with quality time with kids, with quality time with husband, with me time --- is NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.
-- that I'd likely be my own worst critic, and in the moments when I'm ready to throw in the towel, one of those punk kids would come up to me, and snuggle just to be sweet, or would say "I love you, Mom", or would like, surprise the hell out of me and actually use their manners or ask politely or remind us to pray...............which proves that they are listening to mynagging teaching. Or that the baby would smile in the midst of his brothers and sisters chaos, and that was just the reminder I needed that it'd all be okay.
But I'll forgive you. Because that day, you loved me and my unborn child. And today, you love me and my three beautiful children. And quite honestly, without that love, I'd probably be in the crazy house. Or perhaps I'm confused, and we all currently live in the crazy house. (Sure feels that way some day.) Either way -- we'll battle through this stage of life, and I'm sure, one day we'll look back and laugh. Sadly, one day, these will be the "easy" days...........there will be new challenges, and I'll continue to walk this path, learning things all you experienced Mom's didn't tell me.
I guess that's what makes being a parent fun -- new surprises around every turn, huh?!That and the constant thought, buried in the back of my overcrowded brain, that we really are blessed to be called parents, and that these kids do love us....they just love testing our patience more. I'm SOOOO glad I didn't do that to my Mom! ;)
It was all grins and giggles that day...ooh's and ahh's. Surely you were snickering at my innocence as you ate your cake, took your baby bootie filled with candy and left the party that day. SURELY.
Because although I did have the blessed opportunity to encounter everything mentioned above...not one single one of you told me the FLIP SIDE of being a mother. You didn't mention that...
-- although their would be snuggling and cuddling, there would also be wrastling, fussing, and just plain not happy rocking chair time.
-- no matter how adorable your kids are, some days, they'll still appeal to me in the same way that nails on a chalkboard appeals to me.
-- although you all showered me with adorable outfits, that would only mean I would never stop doing laundry ever again. EVER. It's never ending. EVER.
-- once they can talk and say cute things, they can also argue and talk back and say things that are totally embarassing.
-- once they start being mobile (walking, crawling, rolling over), they also become destructive little animals who are into EVERYTHING around the house.
-- one day, when your kids are 3 & 5, they would think that pulling the plug on the sink and letting the water run endlessly (and eventually over the edge of the sink) would be the most fun thing they'd done in their entire lives. Regardless of the mess.
-- my SON would be the one who I fight with on a DAILY BASIS about what he's wearing. And that I'd have to argue with him, and be a total nag to make him learn a lesson that if he cuts a hole in a BRAND NEW sweatshirt with scissors at school.....that he would still have to wear that sweatshirt, regardless of how "dumb" it made him look. Because there's a lesson to be learned here.
-- that my DAUGHTER would scream. A lot. If you didn't help her. If you did help her. Because you looked at her. Because she's happy. Because she's mad. She just likes to scream.
-- that my 3rd child, a son, would be so even keeled and go with the flow. Like the kid even has a CHOICE in the matter. But that sometimes, he'd flat get sick of being so go with the flow and would chose to FLIP OUT until I gave him proper attention.
-- that my kids would likely give me gray hairs at a young age. (Okay, that might be hereditary too, but dang it....)
-- I'm not even going to list all the things you never told me about labor and delivery. I've learned that the reason those stories aren't shared, is because no one would ever have a baby, if they actually knew how it happened. I'm hoping that 10 years from now, my kids will still buy the ole, "God put the baby in there, and the Doctor got the baby out" story. They will. Right?
-- being a mom is all about teaching (aka...being a NAG). Nonstop. Don't do this, pick up that, stay out of that, don't go there, why'd you do that, you know better, what were you thinking, are you kidding me, leave her/him alone, quit screaming, use your inside voice, stop running, hurry up.....this list could go on. And ya'll didn't mention ANY OF IT.
-- some days would be good, and some days would be hard. And that some days I'd feel like super mom and some days I'd feel like a huge failure. You didn't mention that when we chose to have more than one, that I'd have to share my heart equally with all of those kids, and my husband, and myself, and my family, and my friends, and that finding balance in life, isn't easy.
-- managing work outside the home, with work at the home, with quality time with kids, with quality time with husband, with me time --- is NEXT TO IMPOSSIBLE.
-- that I'd likely be my own worst critic, and in the moments when I'm ready to throw in the towel, one of those punk kids would come up to me, and snuggle just to be sweet, or would say "I love you, Mom", or would like, surprise the hell out of me and actually use their manners or ask politely or remind us to pray...............which proves that they are listening to my
But I'll forgive you. Because that day, you loved me and my unborn child. And today, you love me and my three beautiful children. And quite honestly, without that love, I'd probably be in the crazy house. Or perhaps I'm confused, and we all currently live in the crazy house. (Sure feels that way some day.) Either way -- we'll battle through this stage of life, and I'm sure, one day we'll look back and laugh. Sadly, one day, these will be the "easy" days...........there will be new challenges, and I'll continue to walk this path, learning things all you experienced Mom's didn't tell me.
I guess that's what makes being a parent fun -- new surprises around every turn, huh?!That and the constant thought, buried in the back of my overcrowded brain, that we really are blessed to be called parents, and that these kids do love us....they just love testing our patience more. I'm SOOOO glad I didn't do that to my Mom! ;)
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