Getting married and having my own children had always been a dream of mine. Little did I know what this entailed. With every great day there might be a bad one to follow. This is also infamously known as life. And with life comes a huge list of things I wish I would have known.
When Tyler and I got married we talked about waiting 5 years to have kids. But life has its weird humor, not even 4 months after tying the know I was pregnant with A., whom we called our Little Bean. The day this little boy was born my life has changed for the good. And good even better when Mister J. joined the clan. Every minute was a new adventure. And there were so many things people forgot to tell me about having a kid!
I wish I would have known
Yes, parenting can be hard at times but the rewards it brings overshadow the bad times. Still there were things I wish I would have known that would have gotten me prepared for this new journey.
I wish I would have known:
- Privacy or lack of it thereof. Going to the bathroom in peace, without a single squeaky voice or peeping eyes is such a luxury when your kids have learned to walk. This is worse when your bathroom door has no freaking lock [insert profanity here]. One curious kid is not that hard, but once you add one, two, or even three more little monsters to the mix, good luck.
- Showers will either be skipped, shared, or come and gone as fast as you can say presto! I have discovered that if I want to shower I have to either do it quick and quietly or I have to share them with two pairs of legs, at least 8 cars, and a few buckets in order to finally wash the oil off my hair. Do you know just how crowded showers can get?!
- Going out to a restaurant is an adventure on its own. Kids will behave in the car but once at the restaurant be prepared for loud squeals and “mommy, I want to go home”! Having a quiet dinner at a restaurant has to be avoided if you want to keep whatever part of your sanity is still in your power. It gets better though. Keep working on your mommy-glare and you’ll be able to control an army in no time! I’m still working on mine.
- Body changes will happen which is sad. Gravity calls for your girls which after breastfeeding won’t be perky at all. Also, be prepared to lose a cup size after breastfeeding two boys. Oh and that flat tummy, there no more. Sorry. Oh well…all be it for the little people in our lives, right?!
- One word: PACIFIERS! The greatest life savers! At first I wanted to avoid them at all cost but when we first used them, aaahhhh, silence! Saved my sanity and that of all those around me. A. was the one who loved them. J always pretended he was choking, silly boy.
- You will get unwanted advice even from people that know nothing about you. Just take it in, breathe, fake a smile, nod, and walk away before you feel the need to give them a lesson. You’ll hear it all: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
- You will recognize the smell of your kid’s poop. Even if you have two or more and they all decided to poop, you will know where each one of them is by simply sniffing the air like a hound dog. I would have never thought this to be true, but man was I wrong! Gross, huh?
- Poop, boogers, and body parts are now part of silly jokes and stories. They are even funnier if said at the table and yelled at the top of your lungs while shoving a booger at mommy’s face! Can you tell I have two boys?
- Ever heard of pregnancy brain? Well, it should be renamed as mommy brain. That’s all I’ll say…I think my brain might be out for the week now…
- They grow up so fast! And this is sad! Before you know it your baby will be sitting by its own while throwing their lunch at your brand new jeans! So sad…
If life had taken the course we intended for it to do, I wouldn’t be where I am now. I would actually be pregnant. But I am so glad life happened the way it did. I know have cars laying all over the living room, destroyed beds in their room, colorful plastic plates, monster trucks full of dirty half way dug into the backyard, and two beautiful handsome faces looking at me with adoring eyes.
All there is to the things I didn’t know is to take them with a grain of salt, a glass of wine, and the biggest smile your mommy brain allows!
Which one thing that you didn’t know prior having kids would have better prepared you to life with children?
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I can relate to all of the things on your list! I used to get so much unwanted advice – thankfully most have taken the hint that I really don’t care what they did or think. Also, I think I would have enjoyed showers more if I knew they’d turn into quick 5 minute ones most of the time!
“You will get unwanted advice even from people that know nothing about you” – I really have to restrain myself sometimes haha
I too can relate to everything on your list. I have not taken a shower alone in years. I also never would have thought I could love something as much as I do them.
Speaking of unwanted advice – when I first had my baby, I went to a store with her {she was like 2 or 3 days old} and some elderly woman came up to us and tried touching her {LIKE MY BABY WAS HERS} and was telling me how I needed to wrap her up and make sure she is warm. Um, it was like way to hot for what this woman was suggesting. Ugh..she kept on with the suggestions, and calling my girl a little boy though she was in a pink dress until I finally walked away.
Dawn
http://www.cheapisthenewclassy.com
It is annoying when they don’t get the hint that you seriously cannot care any less about what they are trying to impose on you! Maybe she was color blind? Although I doubt one confuses pink for blue…odd.
Yeah, that “color blind” thing might had worked had my daughter not also had a bow on her head, lol! She also kept calling my daughter a “papoose.” That is not a term I here often, lol.
Dawn
http://www.cheapisthenewclassy.com
Maybe she left her glasses at home? I dunno…people can be a little bit too nosy!
I can so relate to this post! I have 4 kids. They are all school aged now – my youngest is 8. They really should warn us in advance how hard parenting is
I can relate with everything in this post. It also tugs at my heart a little about them growing up too fast. I no longer have babies… I have preschool and elementary schoolers. And I know in no time it will be preteen and so on…
I wish I had known you can’t reason with kids. And they are LOUD! Oh geez, I find myself shouting over them at my husband all the time. Shhh is constantly being said!
Sounds just like my house!! I often have to yell at the boys so they can actually hear me over all their noise!
Thanks for sharing this list. I don’t think I could ever handle having a child!
As long as you don’t mind sharing your shower you will be fine…and get a lock in your bathroom!!
These are each true in my life. I ended up letting my son watch t.v. so I could take a shower.
I’ve tried everything in the book, tv, snacks, cookies, you name it…the moment they hear the door close they are out my door knocking and helping themselves in my bathroom….I have given up!
Amen to all of the above! And I have just given up on restaurants for now–maybe in another 10 year?
Stopping by from your comment at Motherhood on the Rocks–great blog!
We were lucky to find a family friendly restaurant where I live. And it is family friendly as in they have baskets full of toys at the waiting area and there are train track hanging from the ceiling and it is so cool!! Maybe if you could find one like it where you live it wouldn’t be so bad!
Thanks for stopping by! I loved your Teenage Drama post.
This is all so true. I wish I would have known it all, but I wouldn’r have changed my mind : )