We are all guilty of it. Maybe you were out to dinner with your husband or one of your girlfriends in the PK era (pre-kids), and at the table next to you, there was a mom letting her two-year old smash Cheerios into the carpet underneath the table. The mom was seemingly oblivious, talking to her husband, enjoying her wine, while her little monster was dumping out her purse, eating her lip gloss and creating abstract art with those delicious little honey nut O's. You lean over to your dining partner and inconspicuously point and whisper, "OMG, look at this mother! She is so busy talking and drinking, and totally not paying attention to her baby! That floor is so filthy, and she has no control- I would NEVER let my child do that."
Let's look at this from the now much more familiar POV- the "irresponsible" mother...who we alllll know is not "talking to her husband and enjoying her wine"- she's arguing with her husband about why there is only 14 dollars left in the checking account, thinking about the 9 loads of laundry she has to fold when she gets home, and wondering if she has time to chug just one more glass of Pinot before her little cereal-smashing artist enters the melt-down zone.
I think we can all agree that in the BK era, we would throw around the 'N-word' quite often..."I will NEVER do that when I have kids..." "I would NEVER say that to my children"...and I think it's pretty safe to say that by the time your first baby is one month old, you've probably broken about 99% of your "I would NEVER..." promises.
Motherhood is both the most amazing and the most frightening journey you will ever take. It is filled with bumps in the road, bumps on the head and the most horrid smells your nose will ever come in contact with...but one super squeezy hug from your Kindergartener as he gets off the school bus, or a sniff of your newborn's tiny little head as she snoozes in his car seat makes you say the ONE true "I never" statement...I would NEVER trade one moment with my little circus for anything.
Let's look at this from the now much more familiar POV- the "irresponsible" mother...who we alllll know is not "talking to her husband and enjoying her wine"- she's arguing with her husband about why there is only 14 dollars left in the checking account, thinking about the 9 loads of laundry she has to fold when she gets home, and wondering if she has time to chug just one more glass of Pinot before her little cereal-smashing artist enters the melt-down zone.
I think we can all agree that in the BK era, we would throw around the 'N-word' quite often..."I will NEVER do that when I have kids..." "I would NEVER say that to my children"...and I think it's pretty safe to say that by the time your first baby is one month old, you've probably broken about 99% of your "I would NEVER..." promises.
Motherhood is both the most amazing and the most frightening journey you will ever take. It is filled with bumps in the road, bumps on the head and the most horrid smells your nose will ever come in contact with...but one super squeezy hug from your Kindergartener as he gets off the school bus, or a sniff of your newborn's tiny little head as she snoozes in his car seat makes you say the ONE true "I never" statement...I would NEVER trade one moment with my little circus for anything.
Nice job, Jen! Do I foresee another career in the making? I'll be happy to recommend you!
ReplyDeleteJust thought of something funny. I remember complaining to the pediatrician that my little darling was definitely NOT getting his daily recommended about of veggies. He said "Does he like ketchup?" "Ketchup?, I asked. This household revolves around ketchup. Ketchup on eggs,ketchup on chicken, ketchup on mac and cheese, ketchup licked off fingers!" He said, "Great, then Erik is getting his recommended daily allotment of veggies. So, word of advise, if all else fails, give your kids a bowl of ketchup for dinner, that is if they like it.
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