Parents are different

No matter what we may tell ourselves...us parents are a unique group of society!

When we take on this role...which I would not give up for anything...our priorities, energy and ideas shift. Sometimes in a dramatic way!

Now there are exceptions in both directions, but lets provide some general discussion here around the differences between parents and the rest of society. For the sake of relevance...I am specifically looking at parents of young children, say up to the age of 6 or so.

(To give some background...my wife and I have 2 daughters aged 3 and 1...so I know a little of what I'm talking about LOL)

To keep it short and sweet, we'll just focus on 4 areas here ;-)

Meal Times:
Before children...meal times were flexible, relaxing and social experiences. Once your children begin eating solid foods they shift dramatically. The can range from pleasant family experiences to witnessing a tornado tearing past the dining table leaving a trail of thrown food, spilled drinks and everyone in tears!

This is part of the growing process and remembering that 'this to shall pass' is something all parents need to repeat as a daily mantra depending where they are in the stages of development.

For our family...meal times are not fast...our oldest has given a new definition to dining while our youngest is highly efficient and is in and done fast (most of the time). This does make for interesting experiences at the table, but it does give our family great time to talk, and stay connected...something that has been lost over the last few decades as our lives have sped up and become inundated with distractions!

Social Activities:
Lazy Sunday brunches, drinks after work and quiet romantic dinners...

Activities that young children tend to put a pause too...at least temporarily.

Your world becomes consumed with parks, book reading, toys and play dates! Keeping these little people socialized is very important for their development. I'm not going to get into statistics or research...we are social creatures...by you just being here reading this proves that!

We all want to be part of a community, be engaged and develop. Doing this for your children is one of the most important tasks we can do as parents.

Don't despair...those long lazy Sunday brunches will be back...and if you do a great job raising your kids...they'll enjoy them as well!

Leaving the House:
If you don't have kids...picture this. You are going away for a weekend, you need a few changes of clothes...maybe some food to take with you and water. You'll be doing some activities so you need the relevant equipment for this. You pack up the car and off you go.

Well for parents of very young children...especially newborn to say 2 years old...this is the level of preparedness that goes into just stepping foot outside the door! Trips to the supermarket are an expedition. Visits to family and friends mean taking supplies to keep children occupied and busy.

I remember when our oldest was around 1 and we left the house the first time and realized we didn't have the diaper bag or anything else with us! We were half way to the store and went into an almost panic! It's ok...we survived...talked ourselves down and realized...worse case buy what we need at the store!! LOL

It is amusing how a simple trip to the store can become a monumental task!

Sleep:
This would have to be one of the top things new parents want more then anything! Now not all children are bad sleepers, there are ways to 'train' them to sleep through the night from an early age...but this isn't what this post is about.

You soon learn the importance of getting to bed early. The luxury of sleeping together is something that is a number of years away (unless you've managed to take a vacation for just the 2 of you...but then your body clock is so used to getting up early this will be challenging!!).

Value your sleep, train your children to be good sleepers and treat your body well.

There you have it...4 areas of life that parents are different to the rest of society. For a long time I thought I was not ready for the responsibility of children...now I would not change a thing no matter how challenging or frustrating they can be at times. This is part of the parenting journey and I love it each and every day!

if you enjoyed this please upvote and comment...I'd love to hear your experiences, perspective and feedback!

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Andrew