What no one told me about becoming a mom is...

amother

Seafoam

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 8:20 am

No one told me it would turn my brain to mush. Probably the years of sleep deprivation are what did that.

And how very, very little is actually within your control. You do your best, but there is no input that guarantees any particular outcome.

amother

Periwinkle

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 8:22 am

Kiwi13 wrote:

That you need to make sure the stretchy liner of the diaper is properly placed or else you’ll have huge blowouts! (I learned that one real quick!!!)

I agree with these posts. You need to experience it yourself to really understand and know how it’ll affect you personally. Motherhood is the most rewarding, awesome thing for me. It’s the only role in my entire life that I’ve instinctively known how to be and truly love. (Yes there are the frustrating moments when I want to run away to a distant island and eat an ice cream sandwich in peace, but that’s par for the course!) I love my kids and actually really enjoy spending time with them.

Oh, and the terrible twos are not so terrible (at least in my world). I was happy to discover that. Toddlers are awesome people!! But then again I’m one of the rare people who enjoy the toddler phase more than the infant phase.

My toddler was the best toddler I could ever wish for. When he turned 4 that's when the terrible-ness (I really dislike that term) started.

MiriFr

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 8:26 am

It's way better than I could have imagined! I love snuggles and bedtime stories and trips to the museum. I love cooking and cleaning, even a specialized menu for my super picky eater. I love watching them learn and grow. I love the attitude (it's hilarious) and the I-know-everything. I love the fuss around bathtime and bedtime. I love the tired eyes and bedhead in the morning. The kisses and hugs and the hilarious things they say.
There's nothing like it.

amother

Copper

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 8:28 am

How little is truly in your hands. You do your best, and then just daven and daven, because you're raising independent human beings and you really can't control who they are or what choices they'll make in life.

cozyblanket

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 8:43 am

amother [ Copper ] wrote:

This.

And that the preteen stage can be worse than the teenage stage in some ways.

amother

Salmon

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 8:44 am

amother [ Seafoam ] wrote:

A mother of big kids speaking...
So right!

polka dots

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 9:17 am

The worry! The worry when your daughter is in for an X-ray to see what the lump on her leg is. The worry how your son will have self confidence when he realizes that looks different than others! The colic and reflux and insane teething all fade away to the worry that a mother feels to these perfect precious kids that would I love more than anything in the world!

dancingqueen

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 9:43 am

Tzutzie wrote:

Wait till they turn 4. I find the 4-6 yo stage the hardest. My 6 year of its really forming into a little person bh! I felt like this stage will never pass....

And that what people find the hardest years varies from kid to kid and mom to mom. Despite what people say I enjoy the toddler and preschool years but find the newborn phase challenging.

pause

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 9:47 am

amother [ Salmon ] wrote:

That I would be soooooooooooo tired.
I’ll probably be tired for the rest of my life....

When reading the title, my instinctive response was this. But by the time I clicked on the thread of 28 responses, even before reading, I knew it was posted already.

Last edited by pause on Wed, Jun 26 2019, 9:47 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Silver

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 9:47 am

That my children will never be difficult because they’ll always be the wrong age.

“Newborns aren’t that hard. Wait until they’re infants!”

“Infants? Ha! Wait until they’re toddlers!”

“Think toddlers are hard? Just wait until they’re adolescents and turning into defiant humans.”

“Adolescence is a breeze compared to teenagers!”

“Teenagers? You don’t know what hard is until you have married kids”

Apparently I got away easy because my children were always the wrong age...

cozyblanket

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 10:35 am

amother [ Silver ] wrote:

Love this! Any stage can be hard when you're in the thick if it.

Kiwi13

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 11:49 am

My 3-year old is turning 4 in a couple months. He’s great. The limit testing is tough sometimes and the incessant why why whyyyy questions are like SERIOUSLY??! But I have fun with it. I sometimes ask HIM why why why questions and it’s hysterical how he sits there like, hmmm that’s a great question. I take his lead. When he reaches the end of his patience and goes “because I don’t know,” or “because,” or “let’s talk about something ELSE now,” I store those answers in my arsenal of responding to his next round of whys. I did this for other stuff too. It’s amusing.

amother

Babypink

Wed, Jun 26 2019, 1:12 pm

It's giving me a different perspective on my own parents. I still think they made not great choices, even bad choices, but I can now realize that I never fully understood the stress they were under.