Things I Thought I’d Care About Before Having Kids… But Don’t

What other people think of my parenting

I honestly don’t really care what other people think of my parenting. I’m always happy to hear advice, and I’m incredibly grateful to people who share their experiences with me, but I’ve learnt to pick and choose what I take on board and what I actually put into practice. Every baby is different, every mum is different and every family is different. What works perfectly for one person might be completely wrong for another, and that’s OK.

Eating a hot meal

Most of the time, I’m eating a lukewarm meal, or I’ve got little hands reaching across my plate trying to steal whatever I’m eating. And then there’s the constant, “what’s that?” from Rae whenever she spots something on my plate.

Honestly, I’ve stopped expecting to eat anything while it’s actually hot. 😂

Having a perfect bedtime routine

I’ve learnt that there really is no such thing as a perfect bedtime routine in our house. Some nights Rae will go down after 15 minutes of breastfeeding and I’ll think, “We’ve absolutely nailed this.” Other nights, it’s two hours of on-and-off feeding, multiple books, lots of “shhhhhhh-ing” and me silently begging, “Please, please just go to sleep.” 😂

But I’ve realised that both nights are completely normal. Sometimes bedtime is easy, sometimes it’s a whole event.

Having a perfectly planned day

Is this even a thing once you have children? 😂 I like to have an idea of what we’d like to get done that day, whether that’s something in the morning, afternoon or evening, but I’ve stopped seeing it as a checklist that all needs to be completed.

Whatever we manage to get done is a win. And if the day doesn’t go to plan? That’s OK too. I’m actually much more positive about the things we did manage to do rather than focusing on everything we didn’t.

Going to the toilet alone

I never thought I’d say this, but I think I’d actually be lonely now if I went to the toilet without my little sidekick. 😂

There’s Rae, following me in and asking, “Wee wee or poop poop?”

Privacy has definitely become a thing of the past, but somehow I’ve got very used to having a tiny audience. 😂

Having the latest baby gadgets

I used to think babies needed all the latest gadgets and toys, but Rae has taught me otherwise. Most of the time, it’s the old, slightly battered toys that she loves the most.

You can spend money on something you think is going to be amazing and she’ll completely ignore it… then spend 45 minutes playing with something she’s had forever. 😂

It’s definitely taught me that children don’t need more, they just need things they enjoy, and someone to enjoy them with.

Having everything figured out

I’ve definitely come to the realisation that I will never have everything figured out and actually, I think that’s for the best.

There’s always going to be a new stage, a new phase, a new question or something that makes me think, “OK… what do we do now?” 😂

But I don’t feel like I need to have all the answers anymore. We’re having the best time figuring it all out together as a family, learning as we go and enjoying the little moments along the way. And I think that’s probably what motherhood is all about. ❤️