Before my daughter was born, I had such grand ideas about what I thought I would and would never do.
And then I actually became a mum.
Eighteen months down the track, I’ve thrown most of my pre-baby opinions out the window. Because as most mothers would agree, you need to do whatever it takes to keep your child happy, and yourself sane! Thankfully, other mums around me have taught me that I’m not alone in experiencing this. Phew! So I thought I’d compile a list of a few examples that have taught us one key parenting lesson: Never Say Never.
I’ll never feed my child food that’s fallen off the plate.
Let’s just say that the five second rule is sometimes extended at home. Or at the park. Or on a cafe table. As my friend Michelle jokingly says, “Suddenly the floor isn’t as dirty as I thought it was!”
I’ll never feed her formula.
Breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world. So it can be incredibly hard when you or your baby struggles with this. The instinct is to soldier on, but it’s okay to give your child formula if you feel you need to. I’ll never forget the look of satisfaction on Arianna’s face when I finally caved in and gave her a bottle of formula because I wasn’t producing enough milk for her.
I’ll never buy packaged baby food.
I always thought I’d whip up all these yummy meals that Arianna would just gobble it up. WRONG. The amount of times I’ve had to whip out a Rafferty’s Garden pack whilst my lovingly homemade congee sat untouched on the dining table…
I’ll never be one of those mums going crazy on social media.
I know that not everyone wants to see endless posts of my child doing something random on their newsfeed. I KNOW this. But somehow, every time I take a cute picture or video, I have to actively restrain myself from automatically uploading this on Facebook. ARGH!
I’ll never let my life revolve around her schedule.
Schedule catch-up time with friend. Arrive 20 minutes late due to toddler sleeping longer than expected/throwing up or pooing JUST as you’re leaving the house. Leave 20 minutes ahead of planned time due to toddler pooing/getting cranky because they are hungry/haven’t slept enough.
Does this scenario sound familiar to you?
I’ll never gang up with her against her father.
Yes, I realise the right thing to do is to always present a united front as parents. But it’s a lot harder to put into effort when she does something wrong but also incredibly funny, and she has a big toothy smile knowing she’s not in trouble because I can’t stop laughing even though her Daddy is telling her off (note: this totally works both ways.)
And here’s a few more from my lovely girlfriends:
I never thought I’d rock my baby.
I was wrong. I was the biggest rocker ever.” – Jo
No TV until they’re two.
“Yeah, right.” – Marty
No giving in to temper tantrums.
“[You learn very quickly to] pick your battles!” – Tash
I’d love to hear from all of you Makchic mummies! What “I’ll never…” examples do you have?
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Sharon Chai is fumbling through life as a new mum to Arianna. Between writing, diaper changes and off-key singing for her daughter’s entertainment, she is working in the world of parenting events in Melbourne, Australia.
