Ten ugly truths about parenting young children

having fun with the kids

Being a mother is an amazing adventure.  And as you can see above, having children can be a whole lot of fun. Generally, those are the photos that appear on blogs. Moms are generally too distracted by the crises to take selfies! Last week the Today Show did a segment entitled, "The Ugly Truths About Parenting" that was incredibly honest. (To see the segment, click here.) The moms interviewed and Savannah Guthrie shared some of the things they have learned about parenting that are not generally discussed. They did a good job, but didn't go far enough. Below is a list of ten truths of parenting in no particular order. Are they ugly? You be the judge.

Nos Frida

Ten Truths About Parenting Young Children

1. You're Level of Ignorance is Astounding. Despite your preparation, you're effectively clueless when you bring your first baby home.
2. Interesting Friends. Motherhood makes strange bedfellows. You may become best friends with someone that you never would have met because she tends to go to the playground at the same time.
3. Tests Your Self Esteem. You will compare yourself to other moms--those you know, those you see on TV, those you read about. Sometimes you'll feel like you measure up. And other times you'll want to throw your computer through the window because you know that there's no way you can possibly make your kids Halloween costumes from scratch and look like a super model.
4. You're Always Exhausted. Sleep becomes more precious than gold or money. Seriously, when given the choice between hitting the lottery and getting a week of uninterrupted sleep most moms of young kids will choose sleep without any conflict whatsoever. 
5. Crying Babies Compromise Your Intellect. A crying baby compromises your decision making. You will be tempted to allow the baby to play with your keys--the keys that have been dropped in the street, held in your hand while you pump gas, and are filthy--simply because the baby wants to.
6. You're a Hostage in Your Home. Getting out of the house is an incredible feat. No matter how hard you plan, getting out of your house on time will test you. I know moms who simply stop making commitments, stop going to church, and stop making plans because it is just too damn hard. (I'm one of them!) Inevitably when you want to go out the door, someone gets a dirty diaper, throws up on you, or is having a tantrum. Knowing this in advance does little to help you. My pediatrician says that she struggled to leave the house before 1:00 PM when her kids were little and she's an expert!
7. Your Schedule is King. You and your kids live and die by your schedule. Even if you were a free spirit before you had kids you quickly crave order like you crave your next breath. That's part of the reason it's hard to get out of the house. Doing something that's not part of your schedule is really hard!
8. You Will Do Disgusting Things and Think They Are Normal. For the non-parents the apparatus above is a nose saline spray and a Nos Frida. You loosen the mucus in your kids nose with the saline spray and suck it out with the Nos Frida, also known as the "snot sucker". The Nos Frida is incredibly effective and makes the baby feel better. However, to write about it sounds more than a little gross.
9. Your house will be messy, a lot! Before having children I used to judge moms harshly because they didn't clean before I came to visit. Now I know that they probably did clean. They just didn't have enough space to store all of the kids stuff! 
10. No matter what you think, your baby is in charge.