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As they grow: easier or harder?
Filed under: Just For Moms, Development/Milestones: Babies
Yesterday at the gym, as I attempted to distract
myself from the chorus in my mind of, "I hate this. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this." I eavesdropped on
the conversation of two older ladies nearby.One woman asked how the other's daughter was handling her newborn twins. She answered they were doing well, everyone was settling into a routine but both her daughter and son-in-law were exhausted. The other woman laughed and said, "Well that's just the way it is at first. But you know, what they don't realize is: it only gets harder as they get older."
If I hadn't been busy cursing my treadmill I may have offered my point of view. I've found my job has gotten easier in some ways as my children got older, and then harder in other ways. But overall, I think having a seven-year-old and a four-year-old is easier for me.
I struggled with the sleep deprivation of newborns and the phsyical aspects of taking care of small babies. I didn't like the constant diaper changes and feedings and on and on and on. Now I tell my kids to get dressed, they can grab a snack for themselves, when we leave the house I don't require reinforcements and carry on luggage. For those reasons, having older children fits me and my personality better.
It's true, things are more complex as my children grow up and away from me. I worry about things which have much further reaching consequences than whether or not I have enough diapers in the diaper bag. But still, this part of my parenting life has fit me infinitely better.
What about you? Does parenting little ones fit you better or does parenting fit you better with each passing year?
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
4-28-2006 @ 8:48PM
Robin said...Way back, when we thought we were going to have problems conceiving, I was talking to a friend about adoption. She had adopted a son a few years before. She told me that one of the things the adoption agency asked her and her husband was when they imagined themselves with their child, did they see a baby or a kid.
When I thought about the question, I instantly imagined a kid.
A year later, I gave birth to my daughter and struggled mightily through her infancy. Now that she's over two, I can say in all honesty that, with all the "terrible two" business, I'll still take it any day over infancy. I'm not a baby person, and have never been a baby person. They make me nervous, and my own child was no exception. The older she gets, the more I enjoy being her mom, and the more confident I am in my ability to be a good mom.
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