Sherri and I have been in the parenting “game” for 8 years now. We have five, soon to be six, girls!
We love being parents and wouldn’t trade our life for anyone else’s. We love it.
Part of being a parent is the elimination of fear. There are things in our lives that we used to be afraid of that we no longer fear. For instance:
- Being deluged with bodily fluids: poop, puke, spit, or tears. Gosh, we used to duck, run, and hide from this stuff. Now, we can handle it without taking a break from eating lunch.
- Crying. As a parent you quickly learn to distinguish the “oooohhh, there’s blood on the carpet” cry from the “she took my toy” cry. Young parents, grandparents, and people without children respond quickly with equal urgency to both cries. Veteran parents do not.
- Thuds. Oh it’s grand to watch people jump and carry on when at our home they hear something go “thud.” We don’t move, or blink, and our hearts don’t skip a beat, unless the “thud” is followed by a “”oooohhh, there’s blood on the carpet” cry.
- What people think. Well, that’s not totally true, but it sure is less of a concern that what it used to be. It simply goes like this, people who have kids “get it” and people who don’t have kids “don’t get it.” Every kid will have their “moment” and embarrass the living daylights out of you. They will show a body part, say a word, make a noise, or throw something in such a way as to make you look like a drunken, non-caring, out-of-touch loser parent that just crawled out from under a rock… and people will stare. I used to really freak out about that. Now I just make noises and throw stuff at them. 😉
OK, that’s my list. How about you. What are the things that you aren’t afraid of as a parent?
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I’m with you on all that. My fears have to do with the future. As a parent I dream my children will grow up to be happy, healthy, productive, self-reliant adults. But in the back of my mind (sometimes) there is the fear that they end up in prison, or on a stripper pole somewhere.
We used to be afraid when one of our children wasn’t making the same milestones as quickly as one of the others. We now understand that each grows at his or her own pace. So we have learned not to freak out at such things.
Also sickness. I no longer run to the doctor with my children at the slightest sign of a sniffle. With our first daughter I would run and coddle over the smallest bump, snort, or sniffle. I have learned that children are way more resilient than we give them credit for! 🙂
I love your list! THose things are all so true! 🙂 Especially the “Blood on the carpet” scream!