10 Precious Moments You Might Hate as a Parent

The moment you find out that you are expecting a child your entire life changes. Everything you do from this point forward is designed to make you completely miserable, because there is no longer a right or wrong answer. The decision to go away for the weekend on your anniversary is no longer a simple one. It’s a process that creates guilt and worry and stress, and it’s difficult. Parenting is hard because there is someone in the world you suddenly love so much and want so badly to care for to the best of your abilities, but nothing you do ever feels right. There is so much guilt and there are so many feelings of confusion associated with parenting that you won’t realize until much too late that some moments have a different meaning for you. The things that your kids do that are supposed to make you feel so good are going to affect you in a way that you never thought possible; and we’re here to tell you it’s okay. There are 10 very poignant moments you will experience as a parent that do not make you feel good at all – you’ll actually hate them; and that’s all right.

Baby’s First Step

When pregnant, you’re going to say things like, “I can’t wait for him/her to walk and talk and greet me at the door at the end of the day,” and other sweet things that seem so wonderful as a parent. And then your little love is going to take that first step and you will fight the overwhelming urge to push said baby down and make him/her stay little forever.

Baby’s First Words

Chances are pretty good that your baby is going to say “Dada” before “Mama” and that’s going to make you feel a little crazed. But before you end up on an episode of Snapped as a result of your blinding rage and jealousy, you should note that this is a baby that has no idea what he or she is saying. He or she just made a sound, and if it wasn’t your sound, it’s not that big a deal. Additionally, you’ve just entered the world of talking children, and soon those cute little babbles turn into horrific attitudes that make you wish you never taught them to speak in the first place.

Baby’s First Night in a Crib

The first time your baby sleeps in the crib in the nursery for the first time is going to overwhelm you and you are going to hate it. You’re going to feel too far away. You’re going to feel as if you can’t save or protect the baby. You’re going to worry. And then you’re going to sleep so well that you forget how much you hated it and wonder why you didn’t start this sooner.

Baby’s Last Time Using a Bottle

The last time your baby uses a bottle you are going to experience something strange and unpleasant. It’s called sadness.  You’re going to hate it because your baby is now officially a toddler and not a baby. The good news, however, is that with the loss of the bottle and introduction of the sippy cup comes the loss of formula – goodbye expensive grocery store bills!

The First Tooth

When that first tooth breaks through, you’re going to have a meltdown. Why? Because it’s going to feel like 4 minutes before that first little tooth to come in becomes the first little tooth to fall out and you’re going to realize you have little humans; not babies. It’s not an easy thing to deal with.

The First Time Baby Eats Alone

So this is one I don’t get, but some parents feel they hate. The first time their baby puts baby food into his or her mouth and begins the transition from needing you to feed him or her to eating alone is something I find liberating. Do you know how much time it takes to feed a baby? SO MUCH TIME (and I have twins, so it’s like my whole life). But we get it; it’s like a rite of passage into toddler-hood, and it’s sad.

The First Time Your Baby Reads a Book

When you no longer “need” to read your kids their bedtime story, life kind of stops in its tracks and makes you want to sit down and cry. That moment at the end of the day when you know that your little one is as cuddly and sweet as possible and that he or she will be asleep and you will be free of parenting for 12 whole hours any minute now is a bittersweet moment. When your ‘baby’ decides he or she would rather read alone, it’s painful.

The First Time Your Baby Goes to School

You’ve dreamed of this moment your entire parent-life. The moment you get to drop your little one off at school as required by law and therefore nothing you have to feel guilty about is a moment of pure bliss and happiness. For six hours you can do everything you need to do BY YOURSELF. Except that suddenly you just want to go home and drown your sorrows in a venti latte and a box of Girl Scout cookies (except that it’s August and Girl Scout cookies are not in season and we all know that no matter how many boxes you stock up on, they will never last this long). You actually miss your baby. It’s all right.

The First Time Your Baby Stays Away from Home for the Night

This is bittersweet. You get an entire evening to yourself, and you should feel good about that. You’re with your child 24/7 and deserve a night away, but you can’t turn off the fact that you worry and worry and worry some more when your kids are away from home. It’s second nature, and it’s just what happens when you have children. You’ll get better at it, but it never gets easy.

The First Time Your Baby Does not Cry When Left

Babies sometimes cry when you leave them for a few hours with a sitter or relative, and that is difficult. But what’s even more difficult is the first time you leave your baby and he or she throws a fit because you want a hug and a kiss and they just want to go play. Ouch.

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