What you Don’t Know…

The arrival is imminent , you are beyond excited! You have been preparing for this day for what seems like forever!

You have  read all you could read, gone to classes, watched all the DVD’s, gathered as much information as possible. Gathered until your  brain was in a state of overload!

Watching others you have  tried to learn from them.

The problem is you can watch and you can read, BUT…there are things that Parenting 101 won’t tell you.

They won’t tell you how the minute you hold your newborn in your arms, that you have committed your heart to walking outside of your body for the rest of your life. They won’t tell you the panic you will feel, when your precious one has been sleeping for so long, without a peep. How you quietly will tip toe to their crib to  look at them, as you hold your breath and check that they are breathing.

No book prepares you for the guilt that can take over, how you can question everything you do. No video can simulate the true worry you have when your little one is ill for the first time. Your brain rushes through all the 101 illnesses that you read about ,so that you know what to do, but now they are all in one big gobbley guk mess in your brain.

Parenting 101 doesn’t say how it feels when it is late at night and you have no idea where your child is, the fear that strikes your heart. It doesn’t say how you would feel a protection so fierce that you would rather cut off your arm then see your child go through gut-wrenching pain. A DVD can’t simulate for you the helplessness you feel at your child’s pain that you can’t put a band-aid on to fix.

Parenting 101 also doesn’t  prepare you for the pride you feel when your child walks for the very first time. How  when you hear them say, ” I love you”, and your heart melts like it never has before.

It doesn’t convey how when that little hand squeezes yours, that your whole body tingles  all over.Your heart feels as warm as the sun and you squeeze that little hand tight, knowing it won’t be little forever.

You are not prepared for the magic of the goodnight hugs and kisses and the fun of reading their favorite stories.

No DVD can simulate for you the true joy you feel, as you are  having a conversation that goes beyond Clifford and animal crackers, a conversation with a child that is growing.  While they are talking , you are thinking, ” Gee, I like this child , a pretty cool kid!” Then the flash of pride  hits you when you can say, “And they are mine! All mine!”

Parenting 101 prepares you for the basics, not for the emotions, not for the reality of being a parent. It can’t describe how many times your heart will break, but it also can’t describe the infinite joys that you will have. Yes many moments of guilt and so many other mixed emotions are in store. But remember this, when your child can look at you with tears in their eyes and say, “I love you ,and I know you love me so infinitely much and always will.” That’s when you know that somehow, someway, amidst all the mistakes, you still must have done something right! That is all you need to know to show you that you can make it through this jungle, called Parenting. There are plenty of scary things in the jungle, but the jungle is full of beauty as well! Don’t miss the beauty or the crazy monkeys. Laughter is a very important tool to keeping your sanity as you go through this  jungle.