If Only Someone Had Told Me

Yesterday was the second time in not so many weeks that my daughter threw up on me/the wall/the carpeting. Coincidentally, I also recently was told “I’m not really into kids, so I can’t even imagine dealing with them when they are throwing up.”

And it struck me….

There are many things they (doctors, nurses, books) prepare you for (in having kids), but there is so much more that they don’t…

…Like how eagerly you will find yourself diving to catch vomit before it hits your rug/sofa/dog. I mean – when else in your LIFE would you do this? (However, once it occurs, pretty much EVERY mom will tell you her own story. I think my fav is the mom who caught it in a baseball cap. Well done…)

…Like how much you will swear (in your head, hopefully) trying to help your 7 year old with a craft project for school, despite the fact that you love crafts and started out university as an art major.

….Like how you will develop a love/hate relationship with glitter. Or how excited a new vacuum cleaner will make you feel. The two are not mutually dependent.

…Like what you actually DO with all those teeth left for “the Tooth Fairy”. (Seriously, it’s looking a bit serial-killerish in my jewelry box.)

…Like how much guilt you will feel as you surreptitiously stuff artwork into the recycling bin, because you can’t keep everything (and honestly? Some of it you just don’t want to.)

And you know what else?

No one ever told me to keep my mouth shut changing my son’s diaper. ‘Nuff said.

No one ever told me how soppy eyed I’d get at EVERY class assembly. Or school play. Or how it would happen even when my kids aren’t even in that class/play. (I do guided reading at the primary school, and so I get to see most of the individual year’s class assemblies….)

No one ever told me how truly HARD it is, this parenting thing. Or maybe they did, but I didn’t believe them.

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Congrats to Karen and Lisa, you won a pair of Sea-Bands in my Sea-Band giveaway posted earlier this week. Happy travels to you both, and thanks to all who entered, tweeted and Facebooked me!!