02 October 2010

Being a parent

I think being a parent must be one of the toughest jobs. Some days its a real joy to sit and watch my little one play, the other day for instance she was pretending that the empty nappy box was the "Ninky Nonk" from "In the Night Garden" and she placed her Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy dolls inside the box and pushed them around the floor. Its a game I invented after watching numerous (I had to use bold and italics to stress how many episodes I've watched of 'ITNG') episodes of the show. I even included some cool sound effects which she was trying hard to imitate...it was so cute! But then you have days where all she wants is "Mamma" and will push my buttons so much that I can't help but get a little angry frustrated with her.

I know she finds it hard to communicate what she wants, but its when she does something she knows she shouldn't, like stand up in her high chair or on the coffee table, while smiling at me after I've said for the tenth time 'darlin, sit down', and does it over and over again, that erks me!!

Hubby has been home this past week with a bad back, and is only realising how much energy she has and why I have days when I can't get anything done!! I think this was his 'a-ha moment'! You see my daughter is a bit like the 'Energizer Bunny', she just keeps going and going until she stops for some food and a drink, or it's time for her to go to bed.

My hubby and I left it quite late to start a family, in hindsight we wish we had started a lot earlier on, at least 6 years ago!! It's hard being in your mid-30's (I don't know how people start families in their 40s or 50s) and getting out of your warm cozy bed at '2.30 in the blessed AM' (love Colonel Potter from M*A*S*H) to go to a crying toddler.

I'll admit that sometimes I stay in bed a little longer than I should, hoping that she'll stop crying and go back to sleep, but usually she's gotten herself in to such a state that she's hyperventilating or throws up in her cot. Just what you want to be cleaning up at 2.30 in the morning.....or 'SuperDad' has gotten up to her (while I pretend to be asleep! shhh, don't tell him)....but on the odd occassion she may have fallen back to sleep.

I think most people think parenthood is a piece of cake, well if that's the case, make mine chocolate please!

These people tend to be those who don't have kids, I can say that because I used to be one of them! That was until 20 months ago when I had a baby. Boy was I wrong!!

Nobody tells you how hard it'll be when you're first pregnant or had your baby. I guess people don't want to scare you off having kids or burst the 'I'm pregnant' or 'We've had a baby' bubble. It's not like they hand out an instruction manual once you've had your baby.....hmm.....refer to Section B2.1 for 'Changing explosive nappies and cleaning up projectile vomit'.

If your lucky you might have well meaning family and friends who help you, but mostly, they just offer words of wisdom on what you should or shouldn't do where you reply 'thanks for that', or you join a Mums group or playgroup where you learn with other mums along the way.

Thank goodness for sites such as Kidspot where you can ask a question, which you might think sounds silly and not get laughed at! I think it's because there's other mums out there going through the same thing.



In any case I wouldn't change a thing. I know it's a lot of hard work and it doesn't pay you any money, but the cuddles, smiles and giggles I get from my daughter are worth every bit of the lack of sleep, lack of privacy (I'm not a fan of her watching me on the toilet!) and lack of time I have to myself.