Stuff no one told you before having kids

[Poohnatic]

No one told me that when my little guy threw up down the front of my shirt at downtown disney, that I'd be more upset that he was sick than I was that I was swimming in vomit.

That there is no PAUSE button for the cute stuff (but I frequently tell people that!)

That the bathroom door is no deterrent to a child, so why bother closing it! And they seem to have the uncanny knack of finding you at that time of the month and asking tons of questions! (I think youngest knows now that if the door is closed, leave Mommy ALONE!)

That the six year old can easily out eat the nine year old, especially when there's shellfish involved.

That the kids will turn their noses up at the menu in the restaurant and insist on macs and cheese, UNTIL they see what's on your plate and that's the only thing in the restaurant they want.

That the oldest was in a size 4 at 19 months and the youngest would be almost 5 before he was. And he was not going to wear the teletubbies overalls, no way, ho how.

Suzanne

 

[MAKmom]

No one told me when my daughter was born that I had just meet my best friend.
No one told me that no matter how much I truly adore my daughter-in-law it would hurt just a little to know my son no longer loves me the most, even tho I know that's the way it has to be and would not have it be any other way. After all, when he was four he asked me to "marry with him".
No one ever told me that I could watch my heart walk around on two feet.

You just made me cry.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

No one ever told me..

That you would be as sleep deprived when your DD was a college freshman as you were when she was an infant because she calls home late everynight because of boyfriend troubles.

That it would be so hard to let go.

 

[Nancy]

I also was unprepared for how competitive moms could be with each other. I was very careful to have a circle of supportive friends as we have never had any family close by.

MamaCatNV

This is one that surprised me the most and still does. I am very surprised over all the judgemental Moms. We do what is best with our family, I don;t care what your family does.

I think what no one told me was: how do you have 3 kids, all girls, all raised exactly the same, yet you get 1 that drives you insane, 1 that over achieves, and 1 that is the goofiest, craziest off the wall kid. None of them are even remotely the same.

 

[DisneyMomx7]

There are so many things.

No one could ever tell you how much you could actually love your child. Until you have that child you can't imagine that you would actually be willing to throw yourself in front of a train if it would save them.

No one could ever tell you how fast childhood goes. When you're swimming in a sea of diapers, crying babies, potty training toddlers, siblings who seemingly want to kill each other it's hard to believe that in a blink of an eye you'll be packing them off to college or watching them walk down the aisle. Nobody could have told you that you'd be wishing for those diapers and sleepless nights again.

No one could ever tell you that the worrying never really ends.

No one could ever tell you that your children will be the light of your life forever.

No one could ever tell you that when your child gets hurts or gets an illness its almost more than you could physically bear. No one could tell you that your heart could actually be broken.

No one could ever tell you how proud you feel when you see your child has grown into such a really nice human being.

 

[mariolatry]

I wish someone had told me that there would be times that I really wouldn't like being a mom. DD had horrible gas and never slept for about the first four months. I was so sleep-deprived and hormonal! I seriously thought I had ruined my life by having this baby, and ruined hers for giving her a mom who didn't want her.

 

[mickeyboat]

I wish someone had told me that there would be times that I really wouldn't like being a mom. DD had horrible gas and never slept for about the first four months. I was so sleep-deprived and hormonal! I seriously thought I had ruined my life by having this baby, and ruined hers for giving her a mom who didn't want her.

You are not alone. I was thinking about posting the same thing.

I love my girls more than I ever thought I could love any human being. But there are times when I just don't like them.

I wish someone would have warned me about colic. I wish someone would have prepared me for when my angelic little girls started talking back.

Denae

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Nobody told me how much harder it gets as they get older. The little kid issues pale in comparison to the 4th grade issues, and I am terrified at what is coming in middle school and beyond!

I am a nanny. People hire me to raise their children, for heaven's sake! I can sort out a toddler with my eyes closed and one hand behind my back but these grade school issues just render me useless. I guess that's because I have never dealt with kids older than 7 on the job.

I adore DS, but he has that attitude where if we ask him to do something he will sigh, roll his eyes, and launch into this huge explanation of WHY he is NOT going to do that. He has just been diagnosed with inattentive ADD (no surprise, we have suspected it for quite awhile). We are trying medication, but so far nothing has changed. The whole situation of whether or not to give him meds or just let him struggle is a nightmare. He has had problems on 2 different occasions this year being bullied. That meant calling the principal. These are things I never really thought about when he was little. DH wants to help but he doesn't have much more to contribute than I do. We spend lots of time staring at each other and shrugging.

Good luck to all of us! Sometimes I wonder why I thought I was adequate for this particular task!

 

[elmoluvswdw]

Nobody told me when they said "Have two...they'll have someone to play with" that it also meant they'll have someone to fight with...day...after day...after day...

I have three boys (10,7, & 2). It is a constant battle to keep them from fighting (actually, killing each other). Aside from that they are great kids. Every once in a while though, they play nicely together. I think they either must be really tired or sick when that happens.

 

[swanmom]

Nobody told me that having a child meant the complete loss of any sense of personal privacy or personal space. When I mentioned this to my SIL, she said "Well, think how it begins.............that whole labor and delivery thing with doctor, husband and hopsital staff should have given you a clue that this was the end of any concern with physical dignity!!!"

 

[jwsqrdplus2]

I knew that I would love my kids, but nothing and no one prepared me for how completely I would love them!

It is amazing that no matter how bad your day is, how frustrated/angry you are, it can be completely wiped away by your child craling into your lar for some snuggle time. Even if the child in your lap is responsible for your mood!!!

 

[stm61]

I have three boys (10,7, & 2). It is a constant battle to keep them from fighting (actually, killing each other). Aside from that they are great kids. Every once in a while though, they play nicely together. I think they either must be really tired or sick when that happens.

I totally agree! Nobody ever told me that my twins would attempt to become only daughters starting at age 4! They also never told me that the 5+ yrs older brother, who was raised with a house full of foster kids and was used to sharing everything, would be so horrible to one of his sisters! They're twins, they look alike and act alike, how can you hate one so much and not the other! I knew about the "no bathroom privacy" thing, but I never guessed that ds would out-eat dh at 12!

 

[CookieGVB]

Just wait till they're older. Mine are 12 and 14...you'd think by now they'd learn to deal with each other, but it's escalated instead.

My favorite line is "THIS is why I work!!!!"

 

[katerkat]

Mine is definitely the judgmental moms. I should have guessed from the Pregnancy Police, but BOY are other moms annoying! I don't go to many websites now because of comments, and even my good friends keep harrassing me about some stuff. I don't comment on THEIR perceived "bad" parenting, so why do they need to comment on mine?

 

[zookeeper]

OK, I'm writing this through my tears since just before this I was cleaning and found my son's kindergarten pictures.

Nobody ever told me that one day you'll go to pick up your oldest son and you'll realize that while you were so busy carrying around his younger brothers and sisters he's grown too heavy and too tall to carry him to bed anymore.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

When I was leaving the preschool yesterday after dropping off my little charges (they are 4 & 2) I saw a van that was all decorated for Easter. All of a sudden I remembered when DS was little I had all different designs of "window clings" that I would put in his bedroom window for holidays. We had some Winnie the Pooh ones for Spring. It made me so sad. I guess nostalgic more than sad, but sad, too. I wish he still wanted window clings.

 

[debaudrn]

My mom told me when DD#1 was a toddler that the days drag by and the years fly. I thought she was crazy. It's amazing how smart she has now become. DD is now a freshman in college. Where is that little one who loved to snuggle to fall asleep?
My mom also says that when people tell you these are the best years of your life and you will miss it "Don't believe them!". I haven't decided yet if she's right with that one as the next two are 12 and 16 and I have a ways to go yet.
Deb

 

[elizke]

First of all, I really do mind vomit. I bow to the superior mothers who really do not mind! It's true though, I do mind other kids' more, as I recently found out. On the same subject, I really hate wall to wall carpet a lot.


No one told me how hard the first six months would be, and no one told me how incredibly big the love is. But no one really can tell you either one of these things.

But someone could have told me my feet would go up a size and a half after only two kids, and stay that way.


E.

 

[Wishing on a star]

Good luck to all of us! Sometimes I wonder why I thought I was adequate for this particular task!

I loved this one!

 

[L107ANGEL]

I taked about his thread to a person that never had children yet, here goes:
You will be so tired that you question your own thoughts,
You will question evry little thing you do, thats OK!
You may not feel like you are up to the challenge, but you are.
More to come if I am still wanted