We love our children very much. We enjoy every waking moment with them, it’s just heaven.
Well, we wish it was just like that. In all honesty, there isn’t one of us that at one time or another has said, my child is an angel, as long as they are sleeping.
Don’t get it wrong, we love them it’s just that at times it seems as though they will drive us crazy.
First of all, when we found out we were going to have a child we most likely freaked out.
The idea of taking care of a child is overwhelming. So, we quickly go out and buy every book we can find about bringing home a baby and what to expect. We continue to read books, articles and watch programs that explain to us the different stages there are. At one point, some of the reading material and programs makes it sound as though, sure it may be a little rough, but no worries it’s a piece of cake. What we have come to realize is that some of these people don’t have children so of course they would find that raising a child is a piece of cake.
When we get tired of reading books and watching television programs about children we turn to our friends and family. Why not? They have children and have had the pleasure of watching them grow. They will tell us the truth. Well, they will tell you what they have gone through and sometimes they make it sound nice, as though nothing ever went wrong. However, they do this because they don’t want to scare us with stories of how children can cause havoc and turn your world around. Again, it’s not that they don’t love them it’s that children are full of energy. To think, if we could bottle that energy up, we would all be millionaires.
But, why ask anyone their opinion of raising a child, why not observe parents in action. It’s more realistic, sometimes scary and other times, outright funny. Go to a park and sit down. Watch the children play with each other. They can be mean sometimes, pull each other’s hair, throw sand in each other’s faces and push each other around. Then when you question them about what they did, they smile and say, “I don’t know why I did it”. The parent will tell they should never do that again and they promise they won’t. Two minutes later they are back to their old tactics again and to them it’s no big deal. However the parents look frustrated, exhausted and after a while, loses their voice from all the yelling.
Here is a fun one, next time you take a trip to the mall or stores observe the parents and their children. First of all, when they enter they are all smiles and happy. Mind you, before they walk into the stores, the parents have already had that special talk with them that they should behave. After a while, the children begin to get cranky, tired, want everything they see. A few minutes later, the parents are running after them through the store. Finally, it’s so bad that they just leave, never buy a thing and feel as though they have run a marathon.
Now, not all children misbehave, that is true. However, they all have tricks up their sleeves and it’s up to you to figure what they are up to. Think of this, the moment you decide or find out you are having a child, be ready. The books are great to help you with information on health, diapers, foods, etc. However, they don’t truly prepare you for the real thing. As much as you want your child to be perfect, they won’t be. Why should they, we aren’t. This is not to scare anyone into not having children; it’s to let you know there is more to it than watching them sleep, feeding them and dressing them. It’s much more complicated than that. It will include protecting them, teaching them right from wrong, loving them unconditionally and giving them all we can within reason.
Here is a suggestion, the moment you find out you are having a child, start exercising. Take up jogging, weight lifting and yoga. Learn to meditate and find peace within yourself because there will be no peace at home. That will be over as soon as they arrive. But don’t worry, you will be okay and will survive. Remember this; there will be moments when the kids will drain the life out of you and leave you looking as though should be institutionalized, that will pass. Besides, you should take good care of yourself and make sure you get to live long enough to watch them have children. Do as our parents did, sit back and laugh at them. Love your children, enjoy them and record as much as you can, it will come in handy later on. Life is full of surprises and they are full of surprises but truly precious.