Becoming a Mom Will Change These Three Things

One of the things that surprise women most about becoming a mother for the first time is how much she changes. Oh, she knows that things will change. She knows she will love her baby more than anything in the world, that time will pass so much faster, and that she won’t have nearly as much sleep as she did in the past. However, moms change a lot once their children are born. I did. My girlfriends did. In fact, I’ve never met a mom who hasn’t changed in ways that surprise her.

Sleeping Patterns

You know your sleeping pattern is going to change. However, you probably think that when your baby is sleeping through the night – finally – you’ll get to sleep until 8 or 9 in the morning again. That will not happen. As a mom, you will quickly realize that you are going to become an early bird. You are going to want those few hours before your baby wakes up to enjoy the quiet, to enjoy your momentarily clean house, to drink a cup of coffee, to shower, and to attempt to make your face and hair look presentable. And you will do this on weekends, too. It will become your “me” time.

Play Dates Become Amazing

Perhaps the idea of sitting on the bench at the playground in the hot sun while your kids run around seems a bit unappealing. It did to me. However, once your kids are old enough to do this, you will find yourself scheduling play dates doing things you never thought you’d do, just for a few minutes of quiet while your kids play with other kids and you can talk to other adults who aren’t freaked out when you use poop in a sentence in the middle of lunch.

The Christmas Spirit

You might always love the holidays, but let me tell you what changes when you become a parent; it’s not about you anymore. You don’t care one bit about the things you want (and you shouldn’t, because you are an adult and if you really want something, you should be able to buy it for yourself and not have to ask for it during the holidays). All you care about is your baby and the magic you feel. It is so exciting to experience Halloween and Thanksgiving and Christmas and Easter through a child’s eyes. There is so much magic and happiness.