What I've Learned As A Mother

I got an email from a new friend with a new baby who wrote "I have been overwhelmed and undersleeping. He is my first and I am clueless."

I thought, "Weren't we all?" 

Over the course of the last 26 years I have learned a few things ~
*  Never wake a sleeping baby.
*  Listen to your kids.  Even as babies, mine would communicate what they needed.  If I listened, it became easier to meet their needs.  It also eliminates the "mommy, mommy, mommy" chant in the grocery store.
*  I need to be the mom.  My kids will make lots of friends in their lifetime, but they only have one mom.  Much as I might want to be their friend, I have a different job in their life, at least til they're grown-ups.
*  Parents love their children.  Sometimes we just need to learn how to express it.  This book really helped!
*  Children love their parents and want to please them.
*  Sometimes when a kid knows they have done wrong they will feel so bad that yelling at them is overkill.
*  At some point every child will say, "I hate you Mommy."  Hope & pray that on that day you feel so calm that your only response is, "I'm sorry you feel like that.  I love you very much."
*  It's a wonderful thing to get the baby's father involved in their care.  If he dresses your girl all in green camouflage, be grateful he dressed her, and say thank you! 
*  If you're going to give your kids choices, be sure you are OK with whatever they pick!
 *  Sometimes the only thing to do is stop and pray.  

Does it get easier?  I don't know.  Eventually they sleep through the night.  Then they become college students and again want to be fed in the middle of the night.  Luckily you can tell 18 year olds to get their own food.

   Waking my daughter is still not a good thing.

Yelling at my son is still overkill. 

I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.  Being a mom is the very best thing gift I have ever been given.