Things I've Learned

I've been a mother for just shy of 11 years now.  (Damn, that makes me feel old!  )  I was thinking today about some of the wonderful lessons I've learned through this fabulous experience called parenthood.  I thought I'd share a few of them.  If you are a parent, you can empathize.  If you aren't, see what you have to look forward to.  *evil grin*

-A trip to the emergency room will inevitably last at least 4 hours, even if there is only one person in the waiting room when you arrive.

-A normally meek 2 year-old can instantly gain Incredible Hulk strength when a doctor attempts to extract something from her nose.

-The words "Uh-oh.  Don't tell Mom." coming from the other room can only mean something bad.

-Toddlers bounce.

-You can lead a child to vegetables, but you can't make them eat.

-Just when you think you have this whole parenting thing figured out, the Universe laughs in your face.  (It sent me a Leo!)

-Mothers can function on 2 hours of sleep.

-Children can function on less.

-Pick your battles.  You won't have enough energy for everything, so decide what's most important.

-Boys will track mud into the house even in the midst of a major drought.  Especially just after you've finished mopping the floor.

-Dogs make for easier clean-up after meals.

-Imaginations are great.  Who'd have thought that the ends of a 5 year-old's shoe laces could become battling knights?

-10 year-olds like to sit quietly on the edges of adult conversation, thinking if they are quiet enough the adults will forget about them and say something good.

-That same 10 year-old will repeat what he hears in that adult conversation to his friends, taking it completely out of context.

-Bad dreams happen, especially when Mommy and Daddy are "talking". *wink, wink*

-Kids are not "wasting time" when they are laying around staring off into space.  They are figuring things out.

-Things CAN be learned from video games, like reading, and history, and machanics, and persistence, and research skills.

-My kids amaze me on a daily basis.  Most days I think they teach me more about life than I can ever teach them.


-My life is infinitely richer because of my children.