7 things I’ve learned in 7 Years of mommyhood

With my oldest daughter turning 7 this week, it has brought up a time of reflection. What did I do well? What could I have done better? What have I learned over the last 7 years of parenthood? I've learned everything from the great parts of parenthood to the not so great parts and everything in between.  

1. Kids are messy!

Seriously! They'll have all sorts of accidents. You know, the kinds you think would not be possible??? Yea, they happen all the time. Not only do they have the gross kinds of accidents, they'll also have other messes. They can somehow turn a quarter of a glass of milk into what seems like a gallon spilt all over the kitchen. A small cup of cereal will turn into a powdered cereal on the car floor....which of course was already covered in a layer of water. You now have yourself a puddle of mush. Beware the mush.

2. Kids are dramatic.

If you ever try to split a piece of cake for them, I promise you they will in fact never believe it's split evenly. If at the store you don't get that 3rd box of cookies, their life will be ruined. If you make one kids pick up 10 toys and the other 11, the words "that's not fair" will be said until you have the other child pick up one more. Truly, nothing is fair to them....literally nothing.  

3. Parenthood is tiring.

I can't even explain to you how real this is. There's a reason there are endless shirts that say things about being tired, or needing an endless amount of coffee. Those kids have more energy than you think is ever possible. You think you're wearing them out before bed??? Nope, they'll still run circles around you at bedtime. There's a reason that when you become a parent your bedtime slowly gets earlier and earlier. 9:00 bedtimes for me and my hubby make us so happy!  

4. Kids bring out your inner child.

Mommy, you wanna color? Ummmm is this a serious question? Absolutely! Mommy, can we go see the new Frozen movie when it comes out? Yea! I wanna see what happens to Anna and Elsa. Wanna build LEGOs? Only if we build a tower together to see just how high we can get it before it falls. No better way to forget the worries of the world than to be in a pretend world with your kiddos.

5. Kids bring out your silly side.

Not long ago my girls wanted me to play pretend with them. We got out all the dolls, and set up a whole scene. I asked them what my dolls name should be. My daughter legit told me my name was "necklace". I came up with the strangest voice and the strangest back story, and we laughed until we cried! When you're being silly with your kids, there are NO judgements! Win!

6. Parenthood brings a lot of responsibility.

It's definitely a big job! You're responsible for someone's health, safety, and well being. That's quite the task! I remember giving birth to my oldest. Only one day later, the nurse tells me "alright, you both are ready to go home". I tell her in return "no, I don't think you understand. I have NO idea what I'm doing". She just laughed and sent us on our way. I did in fact have no idea what I was doing and I will still claim to this day that I have no idea what I'm doing.....parenthood. 

7. Parenthood is so joyful!

I can't stress this to people enough. Especially when they see me struggling with toddlers meltdowns. Okay, maybe it's tough to see the joy when you only see that, but boy is it so joyful!!! There is nothing like when your kid sad over something and they immediately come to you for comfort while wrapping their arms and legs around you! When I have days where my depression is rough, they will come and give me endless amounts of hugs, cuddles, special drawings, and their favorite blanket to love me. The moments they tell you how much you mean to them or endless kisses from your sweet baby! This is a fraction of what joy parenthood brings!!!  

All in all, parenthood is the best thing that ever happened to me! For some of you, you planned it out. You planned to get pregnant, and then you became a mommy. There are other who planned it out and it took years and lots of tears before becoming a parent happened. There are some who decided to go the adoption route. And there's some of you like me, who didn't plan to become a mom when you did. You were given the gift of parenthood unexpectedly. But no matter how it happens, it's the greatest gift! Cheers to all you moms! Laughing at the crazy moments and celebrating the great ones!