Being a Parent

Back in September, author John Scalzi posted a wonderful essay on being poor. For better or for worse, thoughts on being a parent started appear in my head today in the same format. So, since I know he is also a parent, I dedicate this blog entry to John Scalzi. John's essay makes you stop an think about how we treat those less fortunate than ourselves. I hope mine will make you appreciate what you have. If you enjoy it, feel free to add your own lines in the comments.

Being a parent means waking up several times a night to feed the baby.

Being a parent means not telling him that when you did it, you got away with far more.

Being a parent means you get only one ice cream bar from a box of twenty.

Being a parent means things that worked perfectly for fifteen years are suddenly broken.

Being a parent means the person causing all the mischief is named "Not Me."

Being a parent means spending your evening studying subjects you thought were gone from your life forever.

Being a parent means eating sugar-coated cereal again.

Being a parent means playing with toys without people thinking you are weird.

Being a parent means singing silly songs.

Being a parent means feeling the loss of the tragedies you see on the news.

Being a parent means you no longer have a life.

Being a parent means tremendous worry when a normally noisy child is quiet with fever.

Being a parent means hearing gems from the mouths of babes.

Being a parent means having a different favorite every day.

Being a parent means having no favorites.

Being a parent means discovering what your parents meant when they told you they don't love you any less than your sibling, only different.

Being a parent means always thinking of them as your baby.

Being a parent means surprise notes and calls from the school telling you that your little angel isn't.

Being a parent means great frustration.

Being a parent means catching yourself saying the same things your parents said, you know, the things you swore you'd never say.

Being a parent means hearing them laugh at the clothes you wore as a teenager.

Being a parent means being strong when she says "I hate you."

Being a parent means letting them grow up.

Being a parent means going out to dinner at Chuck E. Cheese knowing you'll eat when you get home.

Being a parent means washing clothes that you know were only worn for ten minutes.

Being a parent means discovering that between your arms is a safe haven.

Being a parent means losing your temper.

Being a parent means sacrifice.

Being a parent means you get to watch cartoons again.

Being a parent means watching Hannah Montana yet again.

Being a parent means sending kids to bed on New Years Eve at 9:00PM because you live on the west coast and that's when the ball drops.

Being a parent means celebrating with sparkling apple juice.

Being a parent means cleaning up after the kid's dog.

Being a parent means going on field trips to places you would never have thought about visiting.

Being a parent means wondering why it went in as you pull the rock out of her nose with a pair of tweezers.

Being a parent means saying 'no' when you want to say 'yes.'

Being a parent means saying 'yes' when you want to say 'no.'

Being a parent means smiling at the cloud-9 on a new parent's face because you know that ain't gonna last.

Being a parent means waking up one day to discover he is taller than you, and wondering how he can still have the same baby face.

Being a parent means a warm feeling when she wins.

Being a parent means hiding the disappointment when he loses because he needs you to tell him it's okay.

Being a parent means saying "No, we aren't there yet."

Being a parent means watching them sleep, even when they're big.

Being a parent means tough love.

Being a parent means spending time together.

Being a parent means understanding that Harry Chapin song.

Being a parent means wishing the house were quiet, then missing the noise when it is.

Being a parent means fixing the lawn mower together.

Being a parent means you have the best date for the father-daughter dance.

Being a parent means no boy is good enough.

Being a parent means accepting their life decisions, even if you disagree.

Being a parent means letting them learn from their own mistakes.

Being a parent means being an important part of a family.