Think back to before you had kids-- did you judge other moms?
I'm not judging if you did, because if I'm being completely honest with myself, I did the same.
Bad behavior? Fast food?? An entire hour of television?!?
Pffftttt-- those parents obviously all had it wrong. My kids won't be subjected to those awful things.
No processed food will ever pass their lips! No brain-numbing children's show will ever be viewed by their bright little eyes!
They'll only eat organic foods! Only play with imaginative toys (none of this princess-y, girly, ruffled stuff!)! And they will sleep when told to sleep and behave in all public places!
I mean, how hard could that really be? How can't any of these parents get it right? Am I right?
Hello! This is Earth calling! It's time to come back now!
Ask any parent, and almost all of them will say parenting is the best and hardest thing they've ever done. Of course it's worth it, but that doesn't mean it's always easy. And it certainly doesn't mean that you have to love every single minute of it.
But to those who don't have kids, well....they just don't get it. And they won't get it until they have their own little bundle of joy, with all the highs, lows, and in-betweens that come with that.
So, it's easy to understand how those without children stand there, with a smug look and a "I can do better than that" expression on their face. And it's ok, you can admit it-- you did it too. And you can at least take some solace in knowing you aren't alone.
Still feel guilty for judging those parents? Read this article.
See? You really aren't alone. Feel better now?
What was your biggest reality check when you had kids? When did it hit you? At the drive thru in McDonald's? When you caved after two days of cloth diapers and ran out for a jumbo pack of disposables? The time when subjecting your child to 30 minutes of Caillou suddenly wasn't so bad if it meant 30 minutes of quiet time?
Tell us! We're not judging. Not. At. All.