Parenthood

The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new. ~Rajneesh

Last night I was up around 3am with Tristyn. She doesn't cry often during the night anymore which probably makes me more likely to go check on her. You never know if she has dirty diaper, runny nose, or has had a bad dream.

It made me think about all the things we do (not just as moms!) as parents. I know Brian and I had never changed a diaper and frankly small children made me nervous. But the moment I held Tristyn, I knew that I had to care for her and give her my best. This thought is probably what drives parents to breastfeed, make their own baby food, take trips to Disneyworld, decide to stay home, or work several jobs to afford school.

All mothers are working mothers. ~Author Unknown

Many of my friends already have kids or are just starting to have children. We are all in various stages of life and financial stability. Some work full-time, part-time, or stay at home. But honestly, each job and each daily grind is tough! We talked in my Sunday school class this past week that if a woman got paid for all the things she does around the home (cooking, cleaning, laundry, and caring for children!) that she would be worth $160,000 a year! And that doesn't even include if she is employed outside the home!

Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories. ~John Wilmot

I only have one eighteen month old, but I can already vouch that all theories seem to be out :) Before Tristyn, I swore that I would never use snacks to quiet down my child, or let her use a pacifier for an extended period of time. ha. I also just KNEW that I would never fall asleep on the floor of her room while she was playing (whoops) or allow her to play with my phone. And OF COURSE, my child would NEVER throw a fit in Wal-Mart or refuse to listen.

Sing out loud in the car even, or especially, if it embarrasses your children. ~Marilyn Penland

Sometimes, I think back to our life "pre-T" and wonder what we used to do :) Sure, we had lots of time to travel and go to movies and we needed our "alone-couple-time." But I love how much we laugh and goof off now. How we'll be totally silly just to make her laugh, or how we'll sing 89 verses of Old McDonald just to keep her entertained on long car rides. Maybe my favorite story ever is the night I came home from class to find Tristyn and Brian dancing and clapping to a Phil Collins DVD.

There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it. ~Chinese Proverb

As a parent, you wipe noses, wipe bottoms, wipe up spaghettios off your floor, and wipe up the crayon off of your chair. You learn that hugs and kisses are the best gifts and to take lots of pictures. You enjoy watching your kids learn and soak up the world and tell them that they're beautiful. All. The. Time. :)

And if you're me, you worry. You worry that they'll fall walking down stairs, that they're eating too little/too much, that they will be mean to other kids, or that they'll forget you when you go to work. (yes, all real worries from yours truly.)

I know a lot of these quotes are about moms, but I think they can apply to daddies too :) Though we all feel stressed and pulled in a million different directions and frustrated that the clean un-folded laundry has been sitting all wrinkled in the basket for 4 days now....(my life, yes) let's also not forget to stop and enjoy the bedtime stories, sticky hand prints and slobbery kisses.

Even at 3am (just please not again tonight Trissy!) I am so blessed to be a parent!