10 Things I Took for Granted Before Having Kids

Guest Post by Sarah

I love being a mom. And I love my children more than anything, but lately I have been realizing that there were a lot of things I took for granted before having children. Here are my top 10:

1. Sleeping~ I don’t even know what that word means any more! True, I do have 7 month old twins who still do not sleep through the night, but I am trying to remember that last really good night sleep I’ve had and cannot come up with it. That has to be saying something! Before having kids I would be up all night and still be able to drag myself to work the next day. Now, I’m tired by 9 and good thing too because at least one of my four kids will be up by 5:30 at the latest. guaranteed!

2. Making only one meal ~ Okay, I have never really be one to make fancy meals, but when I do I only want to do it once. It seems that my kids have gotten my “picky-eater” gene, and that is unfortunate for me because now I feel like a short-order cook at dinnertime! A typical look at our dinner table would include two plates of meal A for my husband and myself, a plate of meal B for our 6-year old son, a plate of meal C for our 2.5-year old daughter, and some baby food for the twins. I don’t mind that the twins need special food but I really would like to only have to make meal A. I mean, I am probably one of the pickiest eaters I know, and only make food that I like, so is pretty safe to say that most people probably would like it. Come on kids, work with me!

3. Being able to finish a drink by myself ~ Let me clarify, I took for granted being able to finish a non-alcoholic drink by myself. If I have a bottle of water, or a glass of milk or juice there is zero chance that I will finish it without someone “asking” for a sip, “I want some!”. Sharing is not a bad thing, after all we tell our kids that they have to share their items. But kids for some reason, do not understand the concept of backwash, and that it is a bad thing. And sometimes I just want my glass of milk for myself!!

4. Taking a long, hot shower ~ Yes, I still shower! But I used to take long, steaming hot showers just to relax and unwind. Being able to do that nowadays is very unlikely….unless my husband is around and able to take care of the kids. Why?? Because I cannot relax when I am trying to race the children’s naps, or worrying if someone is going to get into something they shouldn’t, or because we are running late and I have to grab a kid or two to shower with me!

5. Going the bathroom with the door shut ~ It seems to be that we have an “open door policy” in this house and I’m talking about the bathroom door! And while it is wonderful to hear my 2.5-year old cheer for me when I got “potty”, some things you just want to able to do in solitary! Even when the door is shut, it is inevitable that someone will open it, or if I do manage to lock it before I’m followed in, there will be knocks, kicks, and banging. The bathroom used to be the one place you were assured privacy, but that rule no longer applies once you have kids!

6. Wearing pants that zip and button ~ Okay, this one has more to do with needing to lose weight, but since I am on my rant about what I took for granted before I had my kids, I will blame my weight gain on them! In all reality, popping out four kids has done a number on my body, but I know that it is not my children keeping me from losing it. I used to wear super cute tight jeans and looked good…now I am most likely sporting a form a yoga pants or at the very least pants with an elastic waistband.

7. Wearing ridiculous high heeled shoes ~ I am a sucker for cute shoes, and I am pretty short, so I had early on mastered walking in high heels. Technically, I still could wear my shoes…if only my feet hadn’t grown with each pregnancy. But still, I could always get new ones that fit, however, where would I wear my heels? To the park? While taking the kids on a walk? How about walking around the zoo? Yeah, I know that there are moms who do that, but I need to be able to sprint after a kid at a moment’s notice and heels just won’t cut it!

8. Not driving a minivan ~ I hate that we have to have a minivan. And when I say have to have, I mean we have to have one. We are a family of six, with 4 variations of car seats…even our old Tahoe wouldn’t hold all of us and our stuff. Back when I was 20 I drove a red Mustang convertible. Oh do I miss those days! It was fun just to take it for a drive. Even after the super fun convertible, I had mostly SUVs, but knew that I never wanted a station wagon or a van. We waited until the week before the twins were coming to actually go look at and pick out a van. I know that it is very practical and a necessity, but I cannot wait until we no longer need it!

9. Buying anything for myself ~ Alright, now this one isn’t that big of a deal because I love buying things for our children and home. You know you’re an adult when you start getting excited about appliances and home furnishings! Maybe this should have said, I took for granted having disposable income before having kids. Before we had kids we bought what we wanted to buy, even if it wasn’t the smarted decision. We can’t afford to be so cavalier with our money anymore. We have four kids to clothe, feed, and put through school!

10. Being spontaneous ~ Of all things, this is probably the one I miss the most. I miss being able to have a desire to go somewhere or do something and being able to just get up and do it. With four kids, especially babies, comes of a lot of needed preparation and equipment. Now, I’m not saying that if we want to go to the zoo, or park, or museum that we can’t go the same day we think of it. I’m saying that I better make sure that I have the diaper bag stocked with diapers, wipes, change of clothes, bottles, drinks, snacks, toys, and I’m sure 10 other items. And you have to have an idea of where you are going. You can’t just drive and see what’s out there, because unless you stop at a kid-friendly place you will have some very cranky kids on your hands. Children = needing to plan.

Okay, now with all that being said, I truly do love my children more than anything, and would not take back having them for all the Jimmy Choo’s, size 4 jeans, sleep, easy meals, privacy, or freedom in all the world! I’ll even take being a soccer mom driving a minivan!

Sarah writes about family life, crafts, recipes, tips, giveaways and more on Mommy and 4 Peas in a Pod.