I recently wrote about what I learned in my first year of parenthood. After having it published, I kept thinking of more things I could have included. Our first year with our son was such a whirlwind that I may have blocked some stuff from my memory. All of the firsts my husband and I experienced as parents were either very joyful or extremely dramatic. I would prefer to remember the joyful stuff but at least we can look back on how dramatic we were and laugh at ourselves. My husband will read this and say he was rational, as usual, and I was the one constantly crying and over-dramatic, as usual. He would be correct.
Now that we are well into our second year of parenting, I have learned to sit back and soak in all the moments, from the joyful to the dramatic. Those moments are my definitions of parenthood. Here are some of those definitions.
Parenthood is…
Parenthood is eating when your child does, standing at the counter so you can try to catch the sippy cup as it goes sailing across the room.
Parenthood is so much coffee, and then so much wine.
Parenthood is pleading at the baby monitor for your child to go to sleep. Please. Please Dear God. Just go to sleep.
Parenthood is raising your voice six octaves anytime your child does something good. I have so many videos where I’m shrieking in the background because I’m so proud of my son. #momvoice.
Parenthood is going through a full week of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. It is also Googling “What is Hand, Foot and Mouth disease” because you have no idea what it is. Speaking of baby illnesses, parenthood is not reacting in time to your child vomiting, so you have to yell for your husband to grab towels. Oh, and he was vomiting while crawling down the stairs.
Parenthood is watching so much Mickey Mouse Clubhouse that you yell out “oh Toodles!” along with the characters. It is also wondering why Donald Duck talks the way he does but Daisy has a normal speaking voice (someone please tell me why).
Parenthood is trying to fold the laundry then giving up two minutes later to let your child “help”.
Parenthood is watching your son dump a cup of coffee on the floor in slow motion while you silently rage inside. The coffee was cold, by the way, from the day before. Don’t judge me.
Parenthood is crying while walking out of daycare drop-off because your son doesn’t want you to leave him. Alternatively, parenthood is crying because your son walks right into daycare and doesn’t look back.
Parenthood is trying really hard not to laugh when your child bends down to pick something up and then farts.
Parenthood is having extensive conversations about poop colors with anyone who will talk with me about poop colors.
Parenthood is constant anxiety that makes your eye twitch.
Parenthood is whispering “alright, okay, alright” under your breath a million times when you are rushing around in the morning trying to stay on time.
Most importantly – parenthood is an honor. I’m so lucky I get to have these ups and downs with this little boy. He is mine and that is all that matters in parenthood.
