Thursday, March 4, 2010

Welcome to the Club (What’s the Secret Password?)









He will always be my baby.

There are things that you JUST DON’T understand until you are a mother. Mothers all over the world right now exclaim, “Amen, Sista!” It is a little annoying to me when women without children don’t get this. And it is extremely satisfying when said women end up having children. Isn’t it funny how sometimes we think, “Oh, man, I can’t wait for that girl to have a baby.”

I had this strange sense of being welcomed into a cult-like group when I had my baby. If I can be VERY honest, I will even admit that after I gave birth, I thought, “Why was everyone so excited when I got pregnant?! They have kids. They should have WARNED me!” Well, I will tell you why they were so excited – because it wasn’t them that time, and they were probably thinking, “Oh, man, I can’t wait for that girl to have a baby. Then she’ll KNOW.”

And what are the things that you KNOW when you become a mom? Here are a few:

-You have given up your rights to daily, basic hygiene care.
-You have given up your rights to privacy.
-You have given up your rights to choose what you do and when.
-You have given up the right to sleep when you want.
-You have given up the right to a carefree sex life.
-You have earned the right to say “Because I said so” whenever you want.
-You have earned the right to demand respect from your child for only one reason: your body MADE this human.
-You are much more grateful for your own mother.
-You discover what it is like to FALL completely IN LOVE with your child.
-You discover what it is like to feel saturated and consumed by one little being.
-You discover the limitless capacity to love.
-You feel a constant “pull” and bond to your child.
-You wonder how you are going to emotionally handle it when your child no longer wants as many hugs, kisses, or cuddles.
-You discover that no matter how much you yearn for a moment to yourself, once you have it, you think about or talk about your child a whole lot.

Did you notice that the above list started out a little…unenthusiastic…and then grew to include some of the most powerful feelings you can have in a lifetime? Yeah, kids are kind of like that. They do that to you. One moment, you’re staring at your child in fear thinking “Oh my god, he is a maniac, something is wrong with him!” The next moment, you are melting and aching and wanting your child, who will ALWAYS be your baby.

10 comments:

Oddyoddyo13 said...

That's so sweet. I bet my Mom would linger at the beginning of the list though. lol :)

Anonymous said...

Ahhhh...the circle of life, as Mercedes would say...You will always be my sweet, darling baby, Kristy. And amazingly enough, so will your brother! I love you...to the moon & back! Mom

karen said...

Hey Kristy... I've been enjoying reading your "adventures" appreciate little Parker and every precious moment as they grow so fast and before you know it they are on their own.

Gillian Behnke said...

I swear sometimes that you and I have the same brain. I keep thinking "Man, I wish I'd written that!" Thank you for sharing. :)

I am Harriet said...

Hi there.
Stopping by via SITS to say hello.
Enjoy the rest of your day!

Harriet

Mommy Bear said...

Amen, Sista! Love your list! Everything is so true.

Mommy X said...

Soooooooooooooooooooo true! All of this. And I am so sure you are right about the, "I can't wait till SHE has a baby" thing. I'm that girl. I'm the one who (at my first wedding...long story) wanted to declare it "no kids" and could not understand why my cousin was so upset. She complained that all the people she would leave her kids with would actually be at the wedding. I thought she should suck it up and get a sitter. Flash forward to 2009 when my brother got married 500 miles away and declared his wedding a "no kids" event. Karma is a you-know-what (trying not to swear these days...it sucks.) Love, love, love this list!

See Mom Smile said...

Yes I gave all that up 6 times!!! The oldest is out of the house and it does not change. All consuming, and all wonderful! Okay, not all wonderful but the wonderful makes up for all the crap (literal and emotional crap)! Stopping by frooom SITS.

Pam said...

I agree with the list whole heartedly... but must add the fact that you find yourself saying things to your kids that you swore you would never say that your parents (aka mom) always said to you.

Patricia said...

great list and it's too true. especially appreciate your own mother part. I never knew how hard mothers had it. We have friends who always tell us their pets are their children... yeah, not the same guys.