Attention parents! Do you feel like you signed up for something more than you knew you were getting into when having your babies? You've got company.
Someone in an online forum recently asked, ‘What's one thing NO ONE told you about being a parent that they definitely should have told you?” Here are the top-voted responses.
1. The Fear
“The fear. You decide to have a baby and think it will be hard. But once the baby arrives, you realize the enormity of what you've done. You're responsible for another person's life. You brought them into the world. Nobody else will love them as much apart from their other parent and, if you're lucky, their grandparents. But it's your job to help them in every way.”
“Then, they go to school, and some little brat is mean to them…the MURDEROUS RAGE you feel….it's like living life for someone else from the time the baby arrives. All you do is for them and not for you.”
2. Toddlers Equal a Messy House
“When they're in the toddler/preschool years, your house is going to be a mess, and that's just how it's gonna be,” shared one.
“Don't worry about it so much. I mean, do the stuff like dishes, cleaning the toilet, etc., that keeps the house from becoming a biohazard, but you're going to have toy cars and dinosaurs on your floor for about five years. So be realistic and don't beat yourself up.”
3. Sleep Deprivation
“The sleep deprivation,” said one. “Newborn babies have to eat every 2-3 hours. You can do one 4-hour stretch at night. That means you can't do anything for more than 2-3 hours or the occasional 4-hour stretch for the first month or so. And this isn't taking into account how long the feeding takes.”
“So getting your kid up at 2 am to eat means changing them, feeding them for 15-20 mins, changing them again, then spending 15-20 mins getting them back to sleep. So 45-60 minutes to handle the feeding. At this point, they will need to eat again in an hour. After a few weeks, you acclimate to no sleep, but it's a tough transition.”
4. Babies Are Boring
Someone said, “That up until they speak, they are boring. Babies are boring, cute if you are lucky, but boring.”
“Once they can catch and throw a ball, they are entertaining. It just takes so long to get there. If I remember correctly, my sister called my niece a potato when she was a few months old,” another shared.
5. Bodily Fluids
Someone confessed, “How comfortable you will become with poop and bodily fluids. I never imagined how messy children would be. Just the sheer volume of poop and vomit you will deal with daily. Eventually, you become accustomed to the experience, and you realize one day that you are covered in vomit and feces and barely noticed because you are used to it.”
6. This Too Shall Pass
“Everything is a phase. THIS, TOO, SHALL PASS. Please keep in the back of your head that they will be out of the house in 18 short years. The time will fly by. It's cliche, but it's disgustingly true. Don't take a single second for granted.”
7. Taking a Break Is Warranted
One person said. “If your baby is crying and you've done everything you can to get them to stop, and they don't, PUT THEM SAFELY IN THEIR CRIB AND WALK AWAY TO GATHER YOURSELF. Take a break and go back in a few minutes. You're only human. Take a break to save your sanity. TRUST ME. They'll be fine.”
“Take a shower, clean up the house a little. There's a reason they had all those don't shake the baby commercials. You may become so worn down and sleep-deprived that it might sound like a good idea. Walk away.”
8. You Are Going to Cry a Lot
“You're going to cry—a LOT,” someone stated. “You are going to doubt yourself constantly. You will feel more frustration than you ever have. But you were given these babies because you have something to give them that no one else can.”
“You are their hero. Regardless of how many times you think you've failed them. They will love you and look at you like you put the stars in the sky. So soak it in and let them strengthen you.”
9. Teaching Moments
“That any of those teaching moments you think will have an impression on your kids are a waste of time and effort. They're not paying attention to whatever metaphor you think you're cleverly teaching.”
“Instead, they'll remember the little moments you don't even notice. So, relax, sit back, and a lifetime of being a decent human being will rub off more than you initially give it credit for,” another user replied.
10. Teenagers Are a Pain in The Rear
“Everyone talks about how hard it is to have a baby, but babies are easy,” shared one. “Teenagers are a pain in the rear. Kids are like video games. The longer you play, the harder the levels get, and the downloadable content gets more expensive.”
“And the conversation with the non-player characters gets repetitive. Hopefully, you complete the ‘they moved out' campaign before you run out of lives so you can enjoy your loot.”
Another agreed, “Absolutely sums it up. Every development step along the way prepares you for the next step in the pre-teen years. Nothing will prepare them for that carnage until they hit their teenage years.”
“Every personality trait you hate about them as small ones is Uber amplified in the teen years. Yeah, his competitiveness is cute as a nine-year-old and downright horrible as a 16-year-old. Her stubbornness as an 11-year-old will feel quaint when she's 17.”
We hope you enjoyed the list of things people should have told parents before they had their kids!
This thread inspired this article.
This article was produced and syndicated by Wealth of Geeks.