The lovely Catherine from Laid Back Mama nominated me to complete my A-Z of Parenting, it’s been a bit of a long haul but here goes:
A is for Awesome
I’ll start with big one; however much I moan about parenthood and my kids, really it is awesome and I wouldn’t swap it for the world. It has huge ups and downs, but the good times will live long in your memory (and some of the bad ones too)
B is for Boring
Let’s be honest here, having a newborn is exciting and cute and cuddly and all those things you’re supposed to think. But when you get to your second you quickly realise that actually those first six months, when your baby doesn’t do much, are pretty boring! Thankfully it’s not long before the interaction level picks up.
C is for Co-Sleeping
I’m not ashamed to say that I co-slept with both of my two children, and for longer than was good for my sanity. But a lot of the time it was the easier option and it didn’t last forever. Nowadays, I miss my little bundles and relish the nights when hubby is away and we can all snuggle up together.
D is for Dogs
A work colleague recently compared my children to dogs. In so much as that they need a good run around at least once a day, or all hell breaks loose. Oh, and that the fact that they are prone to running in the wrong direction, and don’t come back when you call.
E is for Eating
A quick calculation in my head shows that I have spent eleventy hundred hours worrying about my kids’ eating habits / fussy eating / why won’t they eat the things they should. I do try and go easy on them, at least they eat well at nursery and school, but I fear it’s always going to be a lose-lose battle.
F is for Foo Fighters
Or Food Fighters as they are known in our car. Lucky for us we’ve managed to influence our kids’ music tastes early on, so normally we can all agree on what we listen to. There’s a few doses of Disney thrown in but that’s the worst of it so far.
G is for Girls
I have a son and a daughter. Many people tell me that I’m fortunate to have one of each and I’m tempted to agree. When I was pregnant the second time around I was desperate for another boy; now I’m glad I had a girl. I fear that with two boys I would constantly be comparing them but with one of each there’s a world of differences!
H is for Hungry
The most common phrase used in our house is “can I have something to eat”. No matter what I feed my son, even the few times he’ll eat something healthy and nutritious, 10 seconds later he’s apparently hungry again.
I is for Individual
I’m constantly surprised at how two little people with the same parents can have such different personalities. My son is definitely a delicate snowflake whereas my daughter is a robust oak tree. There’s a fair amount of nature and nurture at play and it’s very interesting to see them develop as individuals.
J is for Jam
There are, according to my son, many types of jam. Jam you spread on toast is yucky. Jam inside cakes, Wagon Wheels or jam tarts is yummy. Hmmm.
K is for Kitchen
The kitchen used to be a bit of a refuge for me, where I could go for a few minutes piece from the chaos. But recently my two have started getting really interested in cooking with me, from baking cupcakes to making their own pizzas from scratch. Aside from the mess, I’m loving it!
L is for Lack of Control
From minute one after giving birth, I mourned the loss of control that I found was my life as a mum. Six years on and I can’t say I’m used to it, but I feel like I am getting some control back again as my kids get older. However my daughter does after me in a lot of ways…..
M is for Muuuummmmyyyy
When I’ve just sat down. When I’m in the shower. When they’re sat next to Daddy. I can tick all the cliches of when my kids like to call for me. And yes, when I’m on the toilet.
N is for Noise Control
My children are loud and seem to get louder every week. I’m all for them enjoying life and having fun, but we do have elderly neighbours who I’m sure don’t wake up at 6am, and definitely don’t want to be woken up by the Peppa Pig them tune.
O is Oh Dear
My daughter’s current favourite phrase is Oh. Dear. accompanied by a frowning expression. She has no idea of the connotations of what’s she’s saying, but she loves the laughter it produces from the rest of us.
P is for Poos
Second only to the amount of time I spend worrying at my kids eating is the amount of time I am analysing their poos. Enough said.
Q is for Quiet
See also Noise Control.
Sometimes I wish for quiet. Proper quiet, not the OMG-are-they-doing-something-they-shouldn’t-be suspicious type of quiet.
R is for Routine
I was late to the party in establishing any kind of routine. Partly because I did zero research before my son was born, and also because I thought things would just fall into place naturally. Wrong. With my daughter I had brilliant intentions, but she decided otherwise, so no guidebooks were utilised.
S is for Sunshine
Pre-kids I wasn’t a big fan of the sun, and didn’t really enjoy summer. Now though I can’t wait to see the first signs of spring, primarily because it means we can get outside in the garden and don’t have to rely on soft play so much!
T is for Teamwork
I’m hugely fortunate to have a very supportive husband who does more than his fair shar (and why shouldn’t he?!) It’s no secret that I find parenting hard and me and the kids would be utterly lost without him.
U is for Unexpected
I love the unexpected moments you get with kids. Whether it’s my shy son surprising us all and loving his holiday football club or my daughter making her brother a good luck card, it’s often the tiny things that have the biggest impact.
V is for Videos
OK, my kids both have tablets and they have screen time every day. But the one thing I can’t stand is flipping YouTube and its array of stupid videos. I just can’t fathom why watching some anonymous hands open a blind bag is so transfixing, especially when they’ve already opened twenty six already.
W is for Waiting
So tired. Tired of waiting. Tired of waiting for you. The song is soooo right. The waiting begins from day one, when you just can’t wait to meet your little bundle of joy. And you wait and wait and wait. From GP appointments to over-running sports competitions, there’s no end to it.
X is for X Ray Fish
Alright, slightly cheating with this one, it’s my daughter’s favourite flash card.
Y is for Yes
I try to say this as much as I can to my two, but even I have my limits. Chocolate for breakfast and wearing wellies to soft play being two examples.
Z is for Zed (or is it Zee)
Thanks to our phase of stupid YouTube videos, my kids have picked up certain American pronunciations and it’s get me every time. You just can’t sing the alphabet song with a zee at the end. It’s just not on.
Phew!