I had my first three boys in 3 ½ years and it was HARD!
I remember feeling so frustrated when people would tell me that I would miss the chaos.
It added unnecessary guilt and worry to my already overwhelming life as I felt bad for not loving it all.
So, here is a little note to my younger self.
You don’t have to love it all to appreciate the good stuff.
And there is plenty of good to come.
What do you miss or not miss?
To moms of young kids… you might not miss this.
Now that my youngest child is 12, I can honestly say that I’ve never missed…
Tantrums at the grocery store
Putting everyone’s shoes on to go for a walk
Buckling awkward car seats
Changing diapers
Never sleeping through the night
Being constantly requested and needed
Doing the same thing 1000 times
Fights about who pushed the elevator button
Runny noses and ear infections
And hundreds of other things that people promised I would miss one day.
But I do miss
having a curious little friend in my grocery cart,
And holding a chubby hand when we are out for a walk.
I miss teaching new words during car rides,
And having simple solutions to big messes.
I miss reading books at bedtime
And being able to calm the world with my presence.
Imiss being so wanted
And present for every good and exciting moment.
I miss my people being so easily entertained
And watching eyes light up over small things.
I miss being able to fix almost anything
And being able to hold them when I can’t.
Moms of young kids need to know that it’s ok not to revel in all the exhausting and hard moments.
It’s ok to wish time would speed up during those long, long days.
You don’t have to love every second of motherhood to be a great mom.
You should also know that these are good years but there are so many good years to come too.
So much of kids getting older is just the best.
You are going to love having interesting conversations and hearing about crushes and doing things together you both enjoy.
You are going to love seeing them learn and become and grow.
There is nothing cooler than watching them discover themselves, even when it’s hard.
They will blow you away.
Oh, and consistently sleeping through the night is not overrated.
When your little kid stage is over, there are plenty of things you won’t miss.
But you will miss the good stuff. So feel it. Be grateful. Stay present. It’s worth it.