This past December I was sooo proud if myself for getting through my first year of being a mom. I felt like I deserved a freaking award or trophy, I mean I kept another human being alive without screwing it up. It was definitely more of a challenge than expected but I kept a strong mind. I remembered my mother telling me constantly, "Don't stress, the first year is the hardest for a first time mother." So I always took that into consideration but she never told me what about it was hard, that was something I had to discover on my own and boy was it an eye opener!! So here I am passing on my little bit of knowledge to any new mom willing to listen. These are some things mama may not have told you about motherhood.
- Your once spotless clean Living Room will now officially become a Playroom/ Toy store!! I don't even remember when the transition happened, one day I looked up and it was a mini mountain in the corner of my living room. I tried taking his toys to his room but eventually they all made there way back into the living room. I have now come to accept that no matter what I do his toys are going to end up right back in the same place I moved them from.
- No matter how hard you try, your kids will get dirty/messy! Moms most babies/toddlers are messy with EVERYTHING they do. The things that bug me the most are "Snotty Noses" and "Sticky Hands". It seems like every time my son has a runny nose he uses me and my clothes as his personal nose wiper, it drives me nuts!!! But nothing is worst than the Sticky Hands. It seems like he always finds some kind of cup with juice or food to stick his hands into, then he decides to touch all over my cell phone, remotes, tables, glass and toys until everything needs to be wiped down.
- Get use to spending a lot less $$$ on yourself, almost all of your extra money is going to your child! This one is actually not that much of a big deal. It's part of the job description. I honestly want to pick up every cute thing I see in the store for my son. Moms just remember to still treat yourself to a little sumthin sumthin every once in awhile.
- Everything you have they want! Cell phones, food, mail, pens and any other type of pointless junk is the most interesting thing in your child's eyes if you have it in your hands. Every time my son sees me with anything he immediately drops what he's doing to come snatch it out of my hand and investigate. It trips me out, sometimes I actually sneak and do things like text on my phone or even eat snacks.
- Newborns are Needy! The first 3 months after I had my son were the hardest to me. It was just such a change from the normal life I was use to, I mean out of nowhere there was this new little person in my life who constantly needed to be fed, burped, bathed, changed, bounced, rolled over, rocked, picked up, swaddled, swayed, and shushed. That's a lot right??? But even though it was a big reality check it was also something that came to me naturally.
- It sucks when your kids get sick!! It seriously effects my whole day, even if my son just has a cough. At the end of the day no matter how bad your kid is or no matter how much your kid terrorizes the house, it's the worst feeling to see them sick. You just want to hold and hug them (even with all the germs) just to help them feel better. I'm literally the type of mom that can't sleep if my son is too sick.
- You can kiss your privacy goodbye! I can't do anything now without my son following down behind me trying to see what I'm up to. There has been multiple occasions when I can't even go to the bathroom or take a shower without him scratching on the other side of the door screaming like a little maniac. Right now at this point of my sons age he is going through the whole separation anxiety stage so he has been a lot more smothering than usual, mommy and daddy intimate time is strictly during nap time and after bedtime.
No more wild crazy sex all over the house =[. - Kids are Clumsy! My son started walking when he was 10 months and I expected that there would be a lot of falls and stumbles, but now 4 months later I just came to the conclusion that he is very clumsy. He runs without looking in front of him, he constantly loses his balance doing nothing, and he constantly slips on books and toys. All I can do is except it and be there to kiss his widdle boo boos.
- Your taste in movies might change! I have always been a big movie person but now my taste in movies have drastically changed. I once was big on Action and Thriller now i find myself always watching little animated and disney movies with my son. Those animated movies are actually pretty good with good story lines too.
- You will laugh more than ever!! Parenthood is a beautiful thing. Your experiencing this little child that started from an infant grow into a little person with there own type of personality. It's so funny to see how your little one reacts to things for the first time like Halloween, Christmas, 4th of July, Birthdays, Amusement Parks, The Beach ect. It's also funny to take a look at yourself as a parent you'll be surprised how much you may or may not remind yourself of your own parents.
Parenthood is tricky but don't doubt yourself, no parent is perfect. As long as you show that child love that's all that matters. This may seem like hell to someone reading this without children but to us parents this is light work. We were made for this.
