What complaining parent blogs forget

7 ways babies make life harder. 8 pre-child moments you long to recreate. 9 things you can't change about your post-baby body. 

None of those headlines are real but all of them could be. And I likely would've gotten suckered into clicking any one of them. Give me a headline that points to a list of things and that click-bait has my cheek hooked faster than I can say, but it's 1 a.m. why the hell am I reading this. (Mental note: next blog should be a list of things I love to hate or hate to love about articles that have lists.)

Back to the task at hand. Whiny blogs. I get it, being a parent isn't easy. Andy was out of town this weekend partying with buddies at a college football game four hours away. And Jack decided it would be a good night to wake up three times. While feeding him during wake up number two, I realized I started feeling warm. I thought, oh he's sweating. Okay, I didn't think that, but I tried to convince myself. Truth: he'd peed through a nighttime diaper, through his pajamas and in turn through mine. I somehow managed to keep him attached to my breast (I don't think he even gets any milk anymore, it's just the only thing I could do to comfort him) while changing his diaper and clothes. See, I know how to complain with the best of 'em. Being a parent isn't easy. 

But guess what, it's awesome!!! Sure, a lot of the blogs eventually come to that conclusion but some don't, and that ticks me off.

I was recently reading a list of why it's impossible to get things done with a 1-year-old. The writer had incredibly valid points that I had lived and understood. It went something like: tell child not to dump contents of drawer, clean up contents of drawer, tell child not to put object in mouth, take object out of mouth, etc. etc. etc. It was spot on. (Below picture shows Jack deciding my shoes should not go on shelves.)

 

But after reading the list I went and played with Jack. I realized we were doing things on the list, but in between those things I was stopping and smiling. Then I was laughing. Then I was taking a picture to send to my husband. Then I was picking Jack up to hug him. 

The complaints sometimes leave out the joys. And that's sad. Because the highs are incredible.

Yes, it's tough. Yes, we need an outlet. Yes, we need to know we're not alone thinking it's difficult. But we also need to remember that we're unbelievably lucky to have a little person who thinks we're the sun and the moon. Community and reassurance are incredibly comforting. We need that to get through the sleepless, pee-soaked nights. 

But when I grow up and look back on these early parenting days, I want Jack's squealing, innocent laughter and cuddly hugs to come to mind faster than the days I changed a record number of diapers. So those are the moments I'm going to focus on most.