loopyloulaura

My very own website!!! Yikes!

STUPID stuff I used to believe before kids

I have always been desperate to have children. I thought I knew it all. Then almost 7 years ago my life changed completely with the arrival of a little person with no instruction manual (or too many?! judging by the number of books and websites on parenting!)
Below are some of the ridiculous and frankly stupid things I believed before having kids.
  • Parenting was easy
Oh yes. I was a traitor! I thought the parents who couldn’t control their children or stop them crying were lazy or just crap. Now I know what an idiot I was! Children are not easy. Their demands, likes, dislikes, feelings, all change in a heartbeat and you have NO chance of catching up πŸ™ The colour of plate DOES matter. The crusts DO affect the taste of the toast. Not being allowed to wear t shirt and shorts in a blizzard IS unreasonable.
  • Kids wee all the time
I honestly thought that children were like mice and weed constantly and this was why they had to wear nappies. Imagine my shock when I discover they can hold it in and then release at the worst possible moment! Matthew taught me the fun that is ‘wee fountain’. Little boys have the ability to hose everything in sight. I thought girls were different. And yes, instead we had ‘wee flood’. Zach was completely traumatised by an enormous wee incident when very young and now hates weeing anywhere except his nappy. Goodness knows how he will cope with potty training!
  • I’m tired.
Yes I was. But it was NOTHING to how tired I am now. I used to have naps! There is something ridiculously bone weary about me now. If I sit down, it takes a lot of effort to get me up again. But I keep going, I have no choice. In the morning I may not want to get out of bed but there are 3 beseeching little faces that force me to get up (plus all the fidgeting and arguing drives me to escape asap!)
  • I would never wee or poo in front of anyone
I have always been an intensely private person so the thought of using the toilet in front of someone was completely beyond belief. Now the bathroom door is never shut for fear of some almighty catastrophe that would occur for that few precious minutes. I confess to taking longer in the bathroom than I actually need. If Chris or someone is looking after the kids then I sit there on the loo and just REST.
  • Nothing would keep me away from a book
Oh dear. How little I knew. Reading is a precious commodity these days. Maybe half an hour every other day after the kids are in bed πŸ™ always in the bath (ooh, the danger!) I used to read 2 books a week minimum, now I’m lucky to manage 1 a month. I foolishly thought that kids would be more independent than they actually are. I hanker for a summer afternoon spent outside reading in the sun while the children play quietly or read as well. Instead, they fall over, try to eat stones, argue, try to sit on me, get hungry etc etc. Maybe in another 5 years…?
Have any aspects of parenthood surprised you? Let me know in the comments!

49 comments

  1. These tips are all oh so true, but omg, the reading lol! I was the same, I read a book every single day. Since my new baby, I have managed to read like 3 books total and he is 7 months now.

  2. I honestly thought that baby would spend most of its time just sitting around gurgling. I was taken in by stock photos of a Mum sitting working at the lap top while baby beamed happily next to her in a bouncy chair. Something of a shock to find that I couldn’t even stop to hang out a couple of bits of washing without baby starting to scream!

  3. I was completely the same! I also thought it would be a lot easier than it is! And I’ve only just started reading again, after four years…! Shall I make you laugh with some of mine?! I thought that I would use maternity leave to learn to sew, bake, and learn a new language (I know!!) and I also said my children would never use dummies, eat sweets, or watch tv… yes-they do them all! Being a parent really is genuinely something you can’t predict or prepare for!!
    #bigpinklink

  4. i had no idea what parenting involved and despite having worked in care prior to having my first child, i found myself asking the midwife for permission to change my son’s nappy #triumphanttales

  5. Yep, this was me too! I’m now 4 months into motherhood and still naive, for example I still believe weaning will be fun and easy. I will find out in two months time…
    #triumphanttales

  6. I think what shocked me most was the time you spend when all you actually achieve is keeping baby alive! Important, I know but where did the day go? Xx #dreamteam

  7. Oh reading, how I miss you. I was doing really well at the beginning of the year. I powered through loads of books. I was so happy. But reading has had to take a back seat again. #stayclassymama

  8. Fi Ni Neachtain

    I have to laugh, because I thought I was tired before having kids too, turns out I was actually just being a wimp. Kids bring exhaustion and it’s the biggest struggle!

  9. I’m sooooo with you on all of these!! No one can comprehend how much their life will be changed by little ones. I really feel the lack of reading too! Thank you so much for linking up to #DreamTeam!

  10. oh the tiredness, I was always tired.. now im REALLY tired. Working full time, parenting, and now blogging on top makes me just exhausted. Ben sleeps like an angel so I have no idea how i’d cope with interupted sleep either!
    Thank you for sharing this with us at #TriumphantTales. I hope to see you back tomorrow!

  11. Totally agree! The reading point really upsets me, I read a few pages last night and I felt rejuvenated afterwards, it’s a different kind of leisurely activity and I miss it. The tiredness was a BIG shock for me too, who knew tiredness meant only having four hours sleep per night over three months????! Haha thanks for sharing with #StayClassyMama!

  12. Lol! I’m not sure if I ever believed any of these (except “I’m tired.” You do not know what tired feels like till you have a newborn!) But I must confess that I also stay in the bathroom long after I’m done. I just sit on the toilet and rest! #thelistlinky

  13. Pingback: How do you cope?! | Musings of a tired mummy…zzz…

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.