Things I miss because I'm a parent of young children:
*Sleeping when I want to.
*Going out on dates with my hubby whenever we please.
*Going out late to play, because no matter how late you go to bed, your kids will still wake up at 6:30am
*No snowboarding.
*No time for soccer or teams sports on a regular basis.
*Can't wear cute clothes. Forget buying them, your kids will ruin them. Not on purpose of course. But... crap happens often. Almost literally.
*Can't watch the TV shows or movies you want to. Gotta wait until the kids go to bed and then pray you're not too tired.
*Can't forget to make dinner. It's ok when you and your spouse have to fend for yourself, but the baby and the toddler can't really do this. Food has to be made.
*Can't go hang out with my friends...or for that matter.... what friends? hah. (this means WITHOUT kids in tow)
I'm sure there's more. I'm going to count it as a good thing that I don't have a slew of these festering in my mind.
Things I'd miss if I weren't a parent of young children:
*Elaborate stories told by the 4-year-old who is convinced they very well could happen and therefore can make a decent lie to tell.
*Hugs by little bodies that barely make it past your knees or waist.
*Little hands that fit inside your hands that like to poke your nose because they are just learning what a nose is.
*A toddler lisp that makes everything they say seem like you're translating a different language.
*Sentences like, "Mom, only having 5 minutes to eat dinner is mean. I'm not saying you're mean... I'm just saying that 5 minutes is mean." (Consequence of earlier actions.)
*Sweet little souls that turn to you for love after you're the one that caused their sadness, due to having to punish them.
*Little legs that try enthusiastically to climb over a bathtub wall into the water, fully dressed, no matter who is bathing in there.
*Drawings made for me that sit on my nightstand.
*Prayers asking, "Help me not to have bad dreams. Thank you for my house and my home." every single night, verbatim.
*Fridge art.
*Little helpers that help too much and you find an entire box of ritz crackers unopened and thrown away in your trash.
*Bedtime stories.
*Sneaking in after everyone is asleep and seeing how cozy they all look. So tiny in their big beds, covered in fluffy comforters, books they were reading and a flashlight that's still on and tucked in their little hands.
*A sleepy little baby who found a spot right next to you and fell asleep with their bum in the air, legs tucked up underneath themselves, perfectly content, because you are right there.
*Being asked, "Mom, is there anything I can do for you?" Without being prodded by anyone. Usually.
*Giggly cheeks when babies and kids run around the house excited .We see the Northern and Southern Hemisphere cheek giggle often.
*Never knowing where my toothbrush is because the baby loves it so much he could sniff it out anywhere.
*Little toddler bringing me a book to read that he has to hold, and sit on my lap, AND we will be reading it upside-down. But I only get to choose 1 word from each page before he eagerly flips past a few upside-down pages.
*Crazy kid eyes when they're excited, worked up, or angry. Hard not to laugh when you're trying to be serious.
*Telling your 5-year-old at his soccer game, "You have to go for the ball, not the other kids." And his response being, "I am mom, they just get in my way."
*Seeing their perfect faith and innocence as you teach them about the gospel. No questions asked, they believe. They do no doubt. This doesn't mean they don't ask questions- their questions just aren't filled with doubt, they just want to understand better.
*Watching that baby grow up to be a little kid and feeling very proud with who they are becoming as a person.
*Getting stabbed in the back with a miniature fork because for whatever reason this is thrilling to a toddler.
*Snuggles on the couch when you don't feel well and your kids can't stay away from you, so they sit on you and watch your shows with you.
*Taking a bite of their food and humming the entire time they're chewing.
I needed this tonight. I needed to remind myself that there is so much that I love about being a Mom. And yes- there are thousands of other examples I could come up with! But for now, this will have to do-- I'll add more as I come up with them because I like this list.
It can be easy to dwell on all the things you can't do when you become a parent, but I hope, that you find an entire world of happiness that you never knew you were missing out on when you become a parent. Because being a mom is a great thing. It's hard, it's really hard. But it's worth it. It really is.
With everything in life though, you're only going to get as much out of it as you put in. And maybe some days that's why I feel like being a mom is a chore and MOST days I feel like I am in the best place in the world. Yeah, so you give up a lot, but you're getting SO much more in return! And then, the best thing-- you get old and instead of being lonely as the people your same age begin to pass away-- you have your kids to visit you! Who, hopefully still love you because you were an invested parent that didn't dwell on the things they couldn't do anymore and instead found happiness in the new things they got to do.
