Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label motherhood. Show all posts

Friday, November 02, 2007

Besides the obvious, things change

Before my oldest son was born, I remember being eight months pregnant and looking at my husband and saying, "Everything is going to be different." I'm not sure if he knew exactly what I meant at the time, and I'm sure I didn't fully comprehend the depth of that statement. Obvious things would change, but over the years, it's the subtle changes in who I am that have surprised me.

Things that changed when I became Mommy:
  • There are never enough hours in the day. It seemed like that before, but it didn't actually become true until I had kids.
  • There is no such thing as a sound night's sleep. I'm not sure when the last time I slept all the way through the night was, but it's been a while.
  • I worried about my kids' safety before they were born, and then that increased infinitely after they arrived. When they're not right there, being carried inside me, how can I protect them?
  • I stopped going around in bare feet in the house. I'm serious - you never know what you're going to step in with kids around.
  • I have become extremely jealous of "me" time. I am not a selfish person, but my brain demands a certain amount of time completely alone every day and when I don't get it, I get cranky.
  • I learned I am not a patient person. I'm working on that.
  • I have come to realize there is always room for one more (And no, I am not pregnant, nor do I plan to be).
  • There can never be enough pictures of the kids growing up (This is one I know my Dad knows).
  • Perhaps the most surprising thing to me is that there is no formula, no set of things that always work. What works like a charm for one child just makes the other one angry. The only set rule is to try everything until something works.
What surprising change happened to you when you became a parent?