The Pros and Cons of Being a Parent

A couple of nights ago, Trevor and I were reflecting on the past 10 months and talking about the ups and downs of being a mom/dad.  I'm going to blog it so that when times are tough, we'll remember the pros.

CONS:
 - disgusting poo diapers
 - getting peed on, on a regular basis
 - trying to keep a wiggly baby still (very tiresome during diaper changes, dressing, and bath time)
 - crying in the night (teething, bad dreams)
 - worry over doing the right thing (see feeding)
 - less time to do things we want to do (hobbies, friends)
 - losing what you thought was your identity
 - boredom, repetition every day

PROS:
 - watching Kira grow
 - seeing how Kira learns
 - playing with Kira
 - Kira's laughter
 - bringing more joy to family members
 - living in the now

Trevor and I always get such a thrill from seeing Kira grow.  Every now and then we think, she's heavier!  Or we look at how long her hair has grown, or we notice how many teeth are starting to come in!  She's big enough to ride in shopping carts now.  Thank goodness, no more sling!  She's too heavy.

And of course it's always fun to experience the new things she's learned.  Here are a bunch of new things she can do now that she's 10.5 months old:

 - clap hands (sometimes even at appropriate times, like after a song or book)
 - point (especially at her own reflection)
 - say "whoa whoa" while looking at the dog! (she even says AH whoa whoa...how do I explain that in English?)
 - give objects (espeically when I say "ee ngoi" [give that to me])
 - flip through book pages (she still doesn't like reading though)

I really love when Kira laughs because it makes me feel like she has a happy life thanks to me and Trev.  And, we notice how happy Kira makes the rest of the family.  My parents have always been at least mildly irritable.  But they're always in such a good mood now that Kira is around; it's pretty remarkable.

Finally, I live in the now.  I think this is particular to me and maybe not so much for Trevor.  Being at home with Kira and following our daily routine has made me appreciate just doing what I'm doing.  For some reason with all my other endeavors, (e.g., school, work, marriage), I was always distracted by the past or by the future.  I could never appreciate just being in the moment.  But for the first time, I actually focus just on my day and whatever activity I'm doing.  I can't quite pin point what the difference is between now and before, but I'm enjoying the feeling.  It's liberating.

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