By Kathryn Peck
A friend once told me that life has an incredible texture with kids that he didn't recognize as missing without them in his life but fully appreciates and celebrates now that they are. For most of us, predicting what life will be like with kids and your role as a parent is unimaginable until it actually happens.
And when it does, everything changes. Here are some of my favorite post-baby observations—some mine own and some borrowed from writer and mom Rebecca Woolf—that make you realize you are suddenly a parent and that parenthood, does, in fact, suit you.
- A cliché, I know, but you suddenly know love at first sight.
- Where you once believed you were fearless, you now find yourself afraid.
- The sacrifices you thought you made to have a child no longer seem like sacrifices.
- You respect your body ... finally.
- You see your parents in a whole new light and realize a heartfelt “thank you” is long overdue.
- You no longer set the alarm.
- Going to bed at 9 o’clock on Friday now sounds amazing.
- You believe once again in things you believed in as a child.
- Bodily functions are no longer repulsive. In fact, they please you. (Hooray for poop!)
- You think of someone else 234,836,178,976 times a day.
- It’s suddenly much more enjoyable to shop for baby footies and rompers than it is for adult dresses and shoes.
- You look at your baby in the mirror instead of yourself.
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About the author: Kathryn is the owner of Bicycle Pie and mom of 4 little ones. Also a writer, editor, and former owner of one of Boston's premiere baby boutiques, she continues to write about motherhood, children's products, family life, and all other things that test our skills and patience as parents.
