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I’ve been told that parenthood makes you more efficient. Does it? Or is that just code for over-scheduled and frazzled?
Is that happy photo you posted on social media the norm, or was it just the one you snapped between tears?
Are playdates only fun because they give you a chance to trade war stories with other new parents, like free therapy?
Is an uninterrupted 6 hours of sleep (let alone sleeping past 7am on the weekends) something you now only dream about? I mean, daydream about?
If all of the above is true—and I know it is, at least in the early years—then what makes it all worthwhile?
As a woman in her mid 30s, I’m conscious of the whole “ticking of my biological clock” thing. I still marvel at the concept of pregnancy and wonder how my own body would respond to it someday. I’ve progressed from holding babies gingerly, worried that I’ll drop them, to doing so confidently, proud of my own maternal instinct.
And yet: I’m in no rush toward motherhood.
I realize that for some, parenthood provides a sense of direction and purpose, a natural next step on this journey called life. Yet I also know couples without children who also “wouldn’t change a thing.”
While I look forward to discovering the “mom” version of myself—and loving and getting to know my new son or daughter—I know I am not ready yet to start reminiscing about the freedom I once had. Until then, I’m happy to be there for my new-mom friends…whenever their newly packed schedules allow it.
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