Sleep like a baby was clearly written by someone who never had to look after a baby.
Having a new kid is tough and it's easy to get frustrated and annoyed and downright sad.
All of the emotions come up and then you feel bad that you feel like that.
This is just a reminder to all the parents and it's something I wish I had had during the tough nights when I felt so alone and so defeated.
Firstly what you're doing is hard,
Like really freaking hard and no one really tells you how hard it's gonna be or maybe it's just that it's hard for you to imagine how hard it was gonna be until you are there living through it.
Your sleep is not what it used to be,
Your relationship with your partner may suffer and your house may be way more untidy than it has ever been in its life.
But you know what?
This is all temporary,
Very temporary.
This is a blip on the radar of a journey that is ahead of you with your child.
You will get your sleep back,
You will have time with your partner,
Your house will be tidy again.
But right now something has to give and what comes first is that little baby,
That little bundle of joy that is your offspring.
They are relying on you,
Not to keep the house tidy but to be there for them.
To smile at them even when you've just had puke all down your favorite hoodie.
To speak to them softly even when they are wailing for some unknown reason.
They want you to cuddle them even when you want nothing more than to just put them down and give those arms a rest.
This is what love is.
The ability to put yourself second,
To make this baby your priority in life.
Each tough moment is an opportunity to prove to that baby that you love them.
Every tiring night is a chance for you to realize that you are way tougher than you thought.
Each time you have to get out of bed and feed them,
This is a chance to provide for them in a way that they could never understand and never be able to ever thank you for properly.
In that moment you may realize just how much care and love your parents showed you before you even thought of them.
This is a moment to pay forward that love,
To deepen your connection not just to the baby but to those who raised you.
It's magic and it's hard.
The difficulty is a feature of parenthood not a bug and you will be a better person for going through this.
You already are.
Look at you listening to a talk about being a parent.
Why?
Because you care.
And this world could do with way more people that care just like you.
Congratulations on being a parent and know that you are part of a special club of people who will suffer and who will love in a way that is impossible to do without kids.
It isn't easy but it isn't forever.
You are everything to that little child.
Enjoy that feeling,
Embrace it and love them with all your might.
Good luck.
