Parenting is hard.
Like really really super hard.
Like, the hardest thing I've ever done hard.
Tiny humans (and medium sized humans and then big humans and sometimes humans that become bigger than you!) depend on you for literally everything that they possibly need to survive and flourish in society and life.
The first year or two are part blissful, part difficult learning years and then they start to be around other kids. You have to teach them to be kind, and they aren't kind because they are egocentric, selfish crazy people with no regard for others feelings. We have to teach them how to not be that kind of person but they don't really listen and then their teacher tells you that they punched a kid in the stomach because they were rough housing and you know that your son, although he knows better, thinks its all part of a fun game that in reality no one wants to play with him! (FINE, I'm that mom!)
Then theres things like potty training, sleeping in big boy beds, and learning how to wash our hands after we eat. These things are so tedious and sometimes beyond exhausting and its really easy to freak ourselves out and talk ourselves out of doing them. So we wait, and wait and wait and blame it on "it's not the right time". When in reality, we know that we are just scared to death of not getting enough sleep or having to clean up pee all over our houses. We make it harder than it needs to be.
We research, read every article and every opinion. We read a few books and ask every mommy group that we follow on facebook.
"what's the best plan?"
"What worked for you?"
"How the heck do I do this?!"
Finally, we take the plunge. Rip off the bandaid. Walk into the darkness.
And guess what...
It wasn't so bad.
You only had to clean up pee once or twice and now your once baby is wearing underwear or sleeping in a bed three times their size.
It's gets easier and then harder and then easier again. Life goes through waves but in the end, it's not as scary as we make it out to be and trust me, if you are a fairly kind, pretty good person, your kids are probably going to be OK and you're doing a good job.
Pat yourself on the back and go eat a cookie, but hide it from your kids because you know sugar makes them WILD and you don't want to have to deal with that right now.
Photo by: T.Knight Photography
