Parenting Perspective

The year after I graduated from high school, my mom and I were talking with a young mother who had two girls, about ages 6 and 3. She said that she taught the oldest to turn on the TV and get breakfast for her and her sister when they woke up. This way she could sleep in past six in the morning.

I thought that was so lazy and how could she not get up with her girls! I can't remember what my mom thought about it, probably a little surprised because my mom never did that, but probably understanding.

Now I'm a mom of an almost 2 1/2 year old and 3 month old, and it is seriously tempting to do the same thing! She almost knows how to work the remote anyways, and she gets snacks out of the pantry when she's hungry already.

picture

When I was married about six months, no kids, a guy told me his wife and new daughter slept until ten in the morning every day. My alarm was going off at 5:30 am to go to work back then, so 10 am sounded practically lazy.

Little did I know that once I had my daughter a year and a half later, by sleeping till 10 am, he must have forgotten to mention that his wife had gotten up at midnight, three, and six in the morning to feed the baby first and then slept till ten and then fed the baby again.

As much as I thought I knew about what raising children would be like, I could never know until I actually raised children what it's like. I have a new parenting perspective. I have more understanding and sympathy when I see other parents working hard to take care of children. 

Some people talk about how people for centuries didn't have TVs, washing machines, microwaves, and cars, and they raised ten kids each, and they survived. But I say you'd have a lot of trouble finding one of those parents back then who would not take a washing machine and a car! There's a reason that so many people have TVs and microwaves, and it's because they are nice and helpful. Don't feel bad for using them, you're lucky to have them!