Before I had kids, I knew just what to do to be a perfect mommy.
I knew that moms who yelled at their children in the grocery store were just plain mean. (But now I realize that they are tired and have responded kindly to their kids seventy-zillion times already this morning.)
I knew that mommies who didn’t take the time to make their own baby food were sacrificing their children’s long-term health. (Yeah, Audrey was the only one to eat homemade…)
I knew that moms who didn’t make their kids eat their vegetables were pushovers. (Tonight, I was thrilled when Sydney put a green bean in her mouth and chewed it once before spitting it out. She has been known to eat meals of sour cream. Just sour cream.)
I knew that mommies who didn’t read to their kids before bed every night of their lives really didn’t care about their kids’ educations. (But sometimes they just need to go to sleep.)
I knew that mommies should always have fun things to do with their kids, not just send them off to play with the neighbors after school. (Ahhh, the joys of neighborhood kids the same age as yours!)
I am not the mommy I always thought I would be. And there are definitely areas I need to work on to be a better parent to my little ones. But there is room in parenting for imperfection. Kids need to see their parents make mistakes and then make things right. I have learned a lot about being a mommy since the days when I knew it “all.” But there was one thing I didn’t know then.
I didn’t know just how much I would love my girls and my little boy.
What did you know before you had kids?
Inspired by this month’s From Left to Write book club selection, Exploiting My Baby. I received a copy of the book for free to facilitate my participation in the club. I have not been compensated in any other way for this post.
February 18th, 2011 | Category: 
I knew I would never use one of those backpack/leashes on my kid. Now that I have a child who will run away in public places, I have one, and I feel no shame about it!
Visiting from From Left To Write.
I knew that I would never pick up a child by one arm. But when you're holding a baby in the other arm and you need your kid to stand up, grabbing their arm and pulling is sometimes the only way.
as i type this my son is watching more tv than i ever thought i would let him watch so i can have some time to get computer work done!
Ah, so true! That reality kicks in so quickly.
I loved your post. Now that I have become a chronically ill mommy, my expectations for parenting have had to change drastically. I guess I always thought I would be a healthy mommy, but I do the best I can and my son knows no different. He still calls me "Super Mommy".
I knew I would never turn on the TV before LL was 2. Well with the RSV and the round the clock nebulizer, Barney and Baby music DVDs were the only think that had him sit still. Now, he enjoys movies and cable — probably a little too much
I don't know what made me look at my reader for the first time in about 2 months today, and then go straight to see if you had posted recently. But I needed this today.
love this.
i was never going to say the things my mom said. but they just keep slipping out….
I knew I would never turn on the TV before LL was 2. Well with the RSV and the round the clock nebulizer, Barney and Baby music DVDs were the only think that had him sit still. Now, he enjoys movies and cable — probably a little too much
as i type this my son is watching more tv than i ever thought i would let him watch so i can have some time to get computer work done!