As the World Changes.......
I believe that most of you visiting my blog are parents so I know you will be able to relate to my discussion today. Before I was a parent I’d heard that life changes when you have a child. That seemed perfectly logical to me for all of the obvious reasons – another mouth to feed, serious contemplation about the right school district to live in, provision of the best for the child, etc.
Okay, now that I think about that perhaps this has absolutely nothing to do with being a parent and everything to do with being a lazy somebody who does not want to get up and turn off the television (I hope I don’t lose my environmentally friendly readers for gross waste of electricity). Okay, well here is something that really relates to being a parent.
Sleep.
Or lack of sleep.
Prior to giving birth every parent I spoke to told me to get my rest. I had a pretty difficult pregnancy and resting was hard to come by for me. I could not imagine that it would be worse when I had my son. Oh how shortsighted I was on that one. As you know I nursed my son until June. When he was a newborn he nursed every 3 hours or so, rest was not something I got a lot of. As he became older the frequency of nursing sessions cut back but without fail he woke up around 3 in the morning. Let me repeat that 3 in the morning! Until he stopped nursing.
Let me be clear. I did not have a full night of rest for 13 months. 13 months! And now, well it is even worse. Because wanting to stay home with my son has its price. I work on my blog when he is asleep. Which means that although I potentially could get 8 hours of rest that doesn’t happen. In my research I have found that I am not alone. Sleep deprivation is something that many Moms suffer from. And it doesn’t stop when your child sleeps through the night. This is a lifetime ailment. Think about it – mothers worrying about teenage children out in the street. Driving a car. Possibly taking drugs. Going to college. Getting married. I don’t even want to think about it. Sleep is so vitally important and lack of sleep can have dangerous consequences. I saw a report on 20/20 that demonstrated sleepy drivers being more dangerous than drunk drivers.
So for now I will try to get in as much sleep as possible. Taking care of myself will ultimately make me a better parent for my son.
Giving up on sleeping is just one of the many changes that occur in the parent hood. Hmm, perhaps I can write about others on a weekly basis. Give me some ideas, what things have changed for you as a result of parenthood?
What I was not prepared for was the minutiae of parenthood. For instance, I am sitting here typing and my baby boy is asleep in his crib. At 10:35 in the evening my television is STILL tuned to Noggin and Little Bill is playing in the background.
Why? I have no desire to watch or even hear Little Bill but after my son went to sleep I didn’t turn it off. The tv is good company I guess and in the morning I will need to turn on Noggin again while I shower so why bother changing the station?Okay, now that I think about that perhaps this has absolutely nothing to do with being a parent and everything to do with being a lazy somebody who does not want to get up and turn off the television (I hope I don’t lose my environmentally friendly readers for gross waste of electricity). Okay, well here is something that really relates to being a parent.
Sleep.
Or lack of sleep.
Prior to giving birth every parent I spoke to told me to get my rest. I had a pretty difficult pregnancy and resting was hard to come by for me. I could not imagine that it would be worse when I had my son. Oh how shortsighted I was on that one. As you know I nursed my son until June. When he was a newborn he nursed every 3 hours or so, rest was not something I got a lot of. As he became older the frequency of nursing sessions cut back but without fail he woke up around 3 in the morning. Let me repeat that 3 in the morning! Until he stopped nursing.
Let me be clear. I did not have a full night of rest for 13 months. 13 months! And now, well it is even worse. Because wanting to stay home with my son has its price. I work on my blog when he is asleep. Which means that although I potentially could get 8 hours of rest that doesn’t happen. In my research I have found that I am not alone. Sleep deprivation is something that many Moms suffer from. And it doesn’t stop when your child sleeps through the night. This is a lifetime ailment. Think about it – mothers worrying about teenage children out in the street. Driving a car. Possibly taking drugs. Going to college. Getting married. I don’t even want to think about it. Sleep is so vitally important and lack of sleep can have dangerous consequences. I saw a report on 20/20 that demonstrated sleepy drivers being more dangerous than drunk drivers.
So for now I will try to get in as much sleep as possible. Taking care of myself will ultimately make me a better parent for my son.
Giving up on sleeping is just one of the many changes that occur in the parent hood. Hmm, perhaps I can write about others on a weekly basis. Give me some ideas, what things have changed for you as a result of parenthood?
Comments
I have to say that those cakes you make are pretty cool!
Get some sleep!
Oh, another thing that changed is a became a huge worrywart. I worry about everything. I worry about someone kidnapping my kids, I worry about if they remember not to talk to strangers, I worry if they have enough friends, if I am making the best decisions for them, are they safe in school, do they remember to look both ways before crossing the street and it goes on and on. Luckily I am learning to handle it much better.
You need to take care of yourself, don't be sleep deprived. No one wants to have luggage-sized eye bags. :)
It's worth it, though.
My youngest is the complete opposite of his brother and myself. He is extremely loquacious, self-confident and even somewhat cocky.
I have learned to be more talkative(out of need), more socially outgoing (as I need to take him places and expose him to as much of the world as is humanely possible) and he's given me patience!
Much has changed for me since motherhood and it's all been for the good. In loving someone that is my complete opposite, I have learned to be more tolerant of others with whom I don't see eye to eye.
Great topic, very though provoking! Thanks. I know that your child is young but surely you see a personality. Is it the same as or similar to yours?
keep in touch
My kids are 11, 9, and 5 so the sleepless nights have come to an end.
But other changes have emerged instead.
1. No more alone time with hubby. We took our first long weekend vacation alone in 11 years last summer and I was a basket case the entire trip.
2. The biggest shocker is the amount of time spent helping with homework after dinner when the kids are in school. Sitting on the couch to watch my favorite shows is no longer an option