Being Mommy

It is amazing how your priorities change when you become a parent. You are suddenly so invested in taking care of another human being that your own basic needs become secondary.

You know you are a mother when a nursing bra and a pair of old athletic shorts are the outfit you wear all day. You consider this “getting dressed."

You know you are a mother when you brag to your friends or your mom that you "got to take a shower today!" You are confused when they don’t offer to give you a high five.

You know you are a mother when you are okay with wandering around with spit up, slobber, and mucus on your shirt. You are disdainful of your partner when he changes a t-shirt with the tiniest evidence of baby kisses on it. (Plus, that’s just more laundry to do.)

It’s very difficult to solve the dilemma of showing off your child. On one hand, you and your child are most comfortable at home, but your home is most likely a mess, so having people over would not be your first choice. Leaving your home to visit with friends or family at a restaurant, church, or a nice clean house sounds like a good idea, but by the time you get out the door, you may be looking back at your house thinking that it may have been easier to just clean it instead.

You never really realize how much stuff you need to take with you when leaving the house with a small child until you’re 20 minutes late getting out the door the first time after bringing the baby home. I could list them all out here, but I would most likely forget a few things, and if you aren’t a parent you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Suffice it to say that it is an insanely high amount of things, and increases exponentially with the amount of children you have. The ridiculous thing is that while you’re packing these things into 6 or 8 bags, you know that they are all things you need, or at least would be really good to have in case of any number of varying accidents.

You know you are a mother when you read something like this and nod along in complete agreement. For everyone else: maybe someday you’ll understand. For those of you who won’t, I’m sorry for you. Being a parent is the best thing in the world. Even with the yucky noses.