Before I became a parent, I had the list: the things I said I won’t do when I become a parent list. Nowadays, that list is down right laughable. Listen up new and/or soon to be parents: Toss the list! Trust me. You’ll thank yourself down the line and make life a whole lot easier on yourself.
Here are just a few of the things I said I’d never do once I became a parent:
1. No fast food for my kid. I will always feed my child wholesome, homemade, delicious meals.
Ha. Ha. Ohhhhh the ha.I’m a cook. I run a food business, and I’m pretty good at it. But have you met a toddler? All the gourmet meals in the world don’t trump toddler tastebuds. Or toddler love for chicken nuggets. As much as I try, sometimes a chicken nugget is the only thing my toddler will eat. Thank goodness for Chick-fil-A!
Ha. Ha. Ohhhhh the ha.I’m a cook. I run a food business, and I’m pretty good at it. But have you met a toddler? All the gourmet meals in the world don’t trump toddler tastebuds. Or toddler love for chicken nuggets. As much as I try, sometimes a chicken nugget is the only thing my toddler will eat. Thank goodness for Chick-fil-A!
2. I will never obsess about my kid and their eating habits.
Ha. Ha. Ha. Again, have you met a toddler? Any parent who hasn’t worried about their kid eating enough of the right things is abnormal. There are growth charts, percentiles, head circumference, etc. to worry about! There’s a whole new world of things that come into play when you have kids. Having a petite little person has me constantly wondering if she is eating enough. I quickly learned that little people are pretty picky, but they will eat when they’re hungry, and I’m pretty good at hiding veggies in stuff.
Ha. Ha. Ha. Again, have you met a toddler? Any parent who hasn’t worried about their kid eating enough of the right things is abnormal. There are growth charts, percentiles, head circumference, etc. to worry about! There’s a whole new world of things that come into play when you have kids. Having a petite little person has me constantly wondering if she is eating enough. I quickly learned that little people are pretty picky, but they will eat when they’re hungry, and I’m pretty good at hiding veggies in stuff.
3. I will never make the same meal over and over just to please my kid.
Some weeks, all Maddie wants is chicken and rice. So we have a lot of chicken and rice. Some days we’re stuck on mandarin oranges and macaroni and cheese. I’ve learned that the, “whatever it takes” notion works, so I’ve been known to feed my kid the same thing she asked for the day before. Why? Because she likes it, and she eats it!
Some weeks, all Maddie wants is chicken and rice. So we have a lot of chicken and rice. Some days we’re stuck on mandarin oranges and macaroni and cheese. I’ve learned that the, “whatever it takes” notion works, so I’ve been known to feed my kid the same thing she asked for the day before. Why? Because she likes it, and she eats it!
4. I won’t ever drink wine with my kid present.
Looking back, I was so smug. So judgy. I’ll admit it, I gave the side eye to a mom if I saw her out with kids enjoying a glass of wine. Oh, little did I know. Ohhhhh little did I know. Enjoying a glass of wine with dinner and getting wasted are two totally different things. The next time I see a mom enjoying a nice glass, I’m going to toast her! Motherhood is tough stuff.
5. No dinner, no dessert.
So many hard lines. When you’re not a parent, you think of all things you’re going to be able to control as a parent. In reality, it’s not like that at all. The other day, my daughter gave her first presentation at school. It was nursery rhyme day. She presented “The 5 Little Piggies,” and she was awesome! That being said, she and her classmates enjoyed ice cream in the middle of the day. Why? Because toddler life is awesome, and reciting a nursery rhyme at age 2 is awesome. She doesn’t always have ice cream or dessert in the middle of the day, but it’s nice as a special treat.
The things I never thought I’d do have come and gone and come back again in this world of parenthood. I’m glad I can look back, laugh, and appreciate life on the other side.
Oh, the laughs! “My child will only eat non-GMO, organic, free-range beets made from organic compost filled with the sunlight of the golden sun…” And then you have a child who will only eat plain white flour spaghetti noodles or Kraft mac’n’cheez and you wonder what you were thinking before.
This was an excellent article, and I love that you aren’t beating yourself up, comparing (which is the devil), and can laugh about how unaware you were previously.
Well done, Candace!
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