Becoming a parent for the very first time in life is the most beautiful indescribable experience. Throughout parenthood, parents face all kinds of situations as their child grows from an infant to an adult. Those are become a father and a mother for the very first time, have different expectation of what it’s going to be like once their baby arrives into the real world. But often, their expectations don’t exactly match the reality. If you are a parent, you will most certainly understand this, won’t you? Ha-ha! Out of the humungous number of facts about parenting, some of them are:
1. Inexpressible joy
Witnessing the birth of a new born, holding, cuddling and feeding is all an incredible feeling for parents. It’s a joy that cannot be put into words. It’s a feeling that is never felt before. Sometimes, you wonder how incomplete your life has been without your new born baby who is now in your arms.
2. New changes
Lives of parents change in an instant! Everything changes! As a parent, you cannot sleep whenever you wish or however longer you want to, your routine keeps changing depending on your child’s routine, life now revolves around feeding the baby or looking after your child, putting them to sleep, changing diapers, packing diaper bags every time you travel or you might find yourself completely avoiding travel given the pandemic situation. Your social life gets affected and the list goes on and on.
3. Unexpected visits to the hospital
You might have to make sudden unexpected visits to the hospital, occasionally even in the middle of the night! New born babies must go for frequent check-ups during the first couple of weeks of birth followed by vaccination visits as well. Apart from this, even the mother needs to go for post-delivery check-ups to her gynecologist or lactation consultant depending on the need.
4. Life around baby’s nap time
Parents now have to schedule all their work around baby’s nap time. As a parent, you tend to sneak into the shower or plan meals and cook or do laundry or clean up the house and so on when the baby sleeps. That’s when you get to have your ME time too, isn’t it? This keeps changing and hopefully gets better as they grow up and go to school, college and university.
5. Panic and worry
Parents got into a state of panic every time the child cries or has any discomfort or falls sick. You would worry about every small thing because you just cannot see your child suffer or see them in pain. You probably keep worrying about keeping them safe away from any kind of sickness, harm or danger. You might wake up in the middle of the night to see they are sleeping well.
6. Child’s needs take priority over oneself
Whether it is food, clothing, toys or anything the child needs, it’s the child’s essentials that take precedence over what you as a parent need or want for yourself. Your focus is so much on your child that often you find that your needs take a back seat and all your time, energy and money is spent on your child’s needs.
7. Friends with kids become your new best friends
This is one thing that all parents can relate to. When you as a parent have friends who also are parents, they become your best friends over night! Ha-ha! That’s became you know that they may have gone through similar situations as yours and therefore be able to support you, guide you and give you suggestions or even counsel and comfort you when its much needed. You tend to be in constant touch with them to get some reassurance and encouragement to keep going despite the n number of unexpected things you encounter as new parents.
8. Laughter and tears at the same time
Oh yes! This is the time when you know that you can be happy and have tears at the same time. Happy tears most often and sometimes you might also get frustrated or drained out as you struggle with the new responsibilities of being the mother or father of the child. Child’s milestones give you so much joy. And as they learn language, mimic you and others through their words and actions, you end up having a nice big laughter. All of these are memories to cherish for a lifetime!
9. Feelings of doubt, anger or emotional outburst
Every time you make a decision for your child, you have a thousand second-thoughts on whether or not you made the right choice for your little one. You wonder if you have done the wrong thing and therefore doubt your decisions. And if at any instance, you make a wrong decision you might emotional meltdown too.
10. You try to be the best version of yourself
Parents want to raise children with good values, morals, and provide them with all the resources they need to grow. You are the one they observe every day of their lives and mimic your behaviors, attitudes and therefore you are their role-model. As a good parent, you would want to be your best self so that your child will learn all the right things. But showing your true self is okay.
These are some facts that parents, whether single parents or new parents or primary care givers face in reality.
