Becoming a parent is a monumental occasion to which nothing else can compare. Plenty of people are quick to point out the many hassles and hardships encountered during their journey through parenthood, but they tend to leave out the most important aspects. Children bring unending love and joy into your life. From sloppy baby kisses and warm, wonderful hugs to countless amusing moments and happy memories, every day as a parent is an interesting new experience. Of course, bringing children into the world also means certain things are going to change along the way.
Altering Your Life in Honor of Parenthood
Children bring on many changes. You probably plan for a few of them, but some can’t possibly be understood until you’re living them in real time. It’s no secret that parenthood comes with quite a few expenses, including everything from terrifying emergency room visits and pursuing children’s various interests to saving for college and buying their first cars. Kids can be expensive. You may also need to apply for a home loan with Dollarback Mortgage as your family grows and your needs evolve. That’s only the tip of the iceberg.
1) Developing a New Outlook on Life
Most of us spend our childhoods and early teenage years dreaming of being grownups. We long for the days when we put away childish things and gain the freedom to stay up as late as we want, go out on weeknights, and eat ice cream for breakfast if the mood strikes us. When children come into the picture, though, things tend to come full circle. We find ourselves sprawled out on the floor coloring pictures of cartoon characters and playing with Barbies and plastic army men. Balanced meals once again take precedence over tasty treats, and bedtime becomes a blessing rather than a curse.
2) Spending Habits
Before becoming parents, many people give little thought to haphazard spending and making frivolous purchases. So what if branded foods and designer clothes are more expensive than generic ones? What’s the harm in putting off the power bill for a couple of weeks to buy concert tickets? Financial priorities change once children come into the picture. You begin to develop an entirely new sense of what’s important and which purchases can be placed on the back burner. While it’s okay to splurge on occasion, those instances grow fewer and farther between.
3) Advanced Planning
Spontaneity is often taken for granted during those younger years. If you want to go out to dinner, you just go. If you feel like taking off for the weekend, you throw a few outfits into an overnight bag and head out. That’s not exactly possible when you have children. Something as mundane as mealtime or a quick trip to the supermarket requires quite a bit of forethought and extra effort. Even then, there’s a good chance things won’t go as planned.
4) Relationships
Before children, going out with friends and spending time alone with your spouse are regular events. After you become a parent, those occasions become increasingly sparse. All that extra time is devoted to the little ones.
5) Sleep Patterns
It’s easy to become accustomed to getting ten or twelve hours of sleep per night and taking naps during the day as needed. Once parenthood takes hold, you have to develop an entirely different routine. Short nights and sporadic catnaps become the norm, and the brain and body certainly feel the effects of this lack of consistent sleep.
6) Health
Being a parent can take a toll on a person’s health from pregnancy onward. Keeping up with the children, losing sleep, stressing over new developments, worrying about money, and countless other aspects of life can leave you feeling worse for wear. Don’t overlook the viruses and other illnesses the little ones might pick up at school or daycare and pass along to you.
7) Views of Your Own Parents
Almost everyone remembers childhood moments when they thought their parents were the worst. Mom and dad made harsh, unfair decisions. They dictated how we lived our lives and punished us when we didn’t even fully understand what we did wrong. Post-parenthood, it all suddenly makes so much more sense. Unfortunately, our own children won’t realize this until they become parents themselves.
8) How You See Yourself
No matter how you see yourself before having children, it’s going to change after the fact. You’ll be stronger and more confident. Though parents are rarely sure they’re making the right decisions for their children, you’ll stop second-guessing yourself so much over time. You’re bound to learn a few new things about yourself that you never would’ve imagined as well.
All Things Considered
Some people refer to all these elements as the sacrifices of parenthood. In reality, they’re not sacrifices at all. They’re just natural changes. They inevitably make for a happier, fuller, more interesting and exciting life no matter how significant the transition may be.
