Okay, dear pals out there......no one cautioned me about this.
I heard tales of warning about the late night feedings, the lack of sleep, the fun night life coming to an end.
And I certainly had more than my fair share of sympathetic faces and questioning looks when I was pregnant with a baby while carrying a 6 month old. (Having kids 13 1/2 months apart definitely raised some eyebrows).
But I had no clue. NOT ONE STINKING CLUE!
When I first became a mom I'll admit...I wondered about the warnings. I was perhaps a little smug about how perfect and wonderful it was to have babies.
Now all of you that warned me and told me how hard motherhood really is are taking a nice, long, chuckle.
I now realize I must just be a baby person. The newborn stages were bliss. How I long to nurse my child every 3 hours, have them awaken me in the middle of the night just to be fed and held, and poop 12 times a day. I had the patience of a saint for that job.
Oh the perfect mother I was then must have taken a vacation.
I just don't even know how to describe it. I feel like I chase my hours and kids all day. I keep running out of time but don't get anything significant accomplished. Having a 2 and 3 year old is HARD. You would think since I have always taught, babysat, and dealt with kids I would be a pro. Heck, I used to work at a preschool and thought it was a dream job. My favorite room was the 2-3 year old room. It was a breeze to watch 7-8 of those kids at a time. I also remember parents asking me for advice for their kids that were stubborn or wouldn't listen. And I would say, "Oh they are really good here. You just have to be patient...it is actually developmentally appropriate."
If someone told me that now (especially a young 20-something in college) I would probably punch her in the face.
Either I've really gotten old and lost my patience or it is a totally different story when it is your own kids.
I've read the strategies, made a discipline plan, scheduled fun activities......but, I'm exhausted. Each day I think, I'm gonna post this "moment" for my family and blogging buddies. Then I'm so darn tired I fall asleep or drink a glass of wine.
Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my kiddos. There are times they make me laugh so hard I can't stand it. There are also moments that they are so stinking cute that I think I should just squeeze them and hug & kiss them to pieces. But there are times that I want to......I just won't type what I sometimes think I could do to my precious kids :).
I am hanging in there. I know this too shall pass. Time will fly by and I'll be wishing for the days that Kaya would screech and wail instead of nap & Zander would decide to talk about his penis in the middle of the grocery store. Until then, say a prayer for me or at least send me a bottle of wine.
3 comments:
I completely understand what you mean. I feel like there's not enough training and patience in the world to prepare for a toddler. I'm only getting started and think the same thing at times. All of our training and experience as a teacher doesn't even scratch the surface to motherhood. Hang in there!
Hi Korisa,
I have said a prayer for you but don't look for the wine. It gets better...you have the teen-age years coming where you(as a parent) become as dumb as a box of rocks. Seriously though, you will wake up one day and say where did those years go.
I would also say being involved with a community of believers also helps. It has definitely helped me through many of the situations I have faced as a parent. I don't know if you and Matt have found a place to plug into but I would definitely encourage you to. I see your reference to your faith many times throughout your blogs. God has definitely gifted you in a special way(your writing ability, thoughtfulness, creativity, smile) for the benefit of His kingdom.
I love you Korisa,
Uncle Tim
Considering I flip my 4-year-old off behind her back on a daily basis and call her every name a mother shouldn't under my breath, I know EXACTLY what you mean. Hang in there, sweetie. I find there are peaks and valleys and soon you'll look back at this post and say, "Hey, I'm away from all that! Yay!"
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