What has surpised you about parenting?

[Deleted User]

There are many aspects of parenting that I did not anticipate or envisioned incorrectly.. for example:

• I did not realize I would have to teach my child to sleep. I never in a million years thought I would do any sleep training with my baby.
• I never thought I'd be breastfeeding a toddler (or that I would love it so much!).
• I had no idea I'd be having nightly electronica dance parties with my toddler, hubby, and dog (and sometimes the cat!)

What has surprised you about being a parent?

Wipz

That I survived this long ... lol

nunzchucks

LOL @Wipz

For me it is that I could still love DD so much after she's annoyed the piss out of me for 12 straight hours.

cmsdouglas

- That I would be willing to feed my child cereal for dinner because she hasn't eaten anything of substance in 3 days and I just want some calories in her.

-  That one day could have so many really really good moments and so many really really bad moments.

-  That I would ever be so excited about the little things that she's excited about.  (Seriously, I love the snow, but I think I got more enjoyment out of going to the door to look at it 800,000 times than she did!)

countrygrl5533

That I would be looking forward to her bedtime so much all evening and an hour after she's asleep, I miss her.

Zimger

That I could be all about Thomas the Train 24/7....

That I could be so excited at every little thing he does.

That I could love a southern drawl...which he has (don't know where he got it).

That I could sit through football, which he loves.

[Deleted User]

mrscjmb9410 said:

-I didn't realize we would have to teach him to play on his own. I usually play for awhile and then he gets engrossed and then I can go put laundry away/clean the bathroom/etc.

-I didn't realize it would always and forever for the rest of my life take me an extra 30-ish minutes to get out the door on time, even when we are dressed and packed ahead of time. It drives me crazy. seriously: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0XiOGyjoAM

-DH and I both did not realize we would think that our kid is the funniest person ever. I don't think that DH thought we would have fun with DS until he was older, but he is always commenting that we are never bored.

ITA with all of this! And I love that clip - SO TRUE! The part about not saying goodnight anymore.. totally our lives.

eyenigh

Overall, just that I'm so into him. I can't wait to get home from work to see him, I love the weekends and I just miss him when he's not around. I never get bored hanging out with him and he always makes me laugh. He's such a good kid and easy to be around-- no trouble. I always feel like I don't deserve it because that is kind of the polar opposite of me!

On a more specific level, I never dreamed that food and eating would be such a stressful thing. I had big healthy plans about what my kid would and would not eat and he kind of blew that out of the water. He's very particular and picky despite us doing everything that you're supposed to do in terms of introducing and reintroducing new foods, making it stress free and easy for him, offering things that he does like along with them-- you name it, we've done it. The kid just has a limited palate! We don't get as many straight out refusals anymore so that's progress but I wish I could get on the he-eats-what-we-eat train more than occasionally.

wildermom

Other parents. Both good and bad. Positively, you join a "club" of sorts with other parents. You can commiserate or encourage each other. They get it because they've been there through the good and bad. They know the ins and outs of raising a little one. Negatively, there are also those parents. The ones that judge and argue and like to think they are somehow above all others. I didn't realize that people could be so hateful about something so precious. But I also didn't realize how much love and support you get as well.