By BERN MORLEY
There’s no shame in admitting that you miss certain parts about your life BC (before children). Just because you have reproduced and now care for another human, this doesn’t mean that you stop being one yourself.
I was, by today’s standards, a fairly young mother. Barely past the young adulthood stage myself when I had my first child, I was quite used to doing, like most 23 year olds, what I wanted, when I wanted.
I will say though, on the whole, I have changed for the better since becoming a mother. I know I am less selfish. I know that I have more compassion and I know that I am more confident. Yet, there are some things I will always miss, even if just a little.
Like going to the bathroom alone. Sounds simple enough right? Think again. It’s like the MINUTE my arse hits that seat, a silent alarm goes off and alerts all of my children to assemble outside of the toilet door. Suddenly they need to go “REALLY bad!” or they have something they urgently need to tell me or World War 3 breaks out in the hallway over who gets to eat the last strawberry. Five minutes alone. I’d almost sell a kidney for five minutes alone in there some days.
Or like doing something spontaneous. I remember once, we decided, on a complete whim, to head off to Hamilton Island for a weekend. Clearly this a) meant we had too much money and b) no other pressing commitments. Now, now just organising a night out to see a B-grade movie takes military precision planning and being prepared to sell part of my soul in begging the in-laws for 3 hours of babysitting.
I miss being able to be properly sick. Hear me out here. Before children, if I was to say, get the killer flu that has recently been doing the rounds, I would have spent 48 hours getting to be proper, grotty, bed ridden, eat all the chicken soup, sick. Now there is no such self-indulgence. See kids, despite often being the carrier and spreader of such delightful virus’, are really quite indifferent to your personal suffering. No, they still want to be fed, and driven to school and generally kept an eye on. So getting sick and having to worry about just getting better, is one thing I do really miss.
Top Comments
I missing not having to be 'on duty'24/7. What was that noise at 2am, a kid? Which one? Are the chronically overflowing bins put out on the correct night? Is there enough food and snacks in the house that everyone will eat? Whose nap/snack/change time is it? Keeping up with the washing/ironing/housework....let it go for a day and I takes two to catch up again!! Gosh they haven't even hit primary school yet!!
Nothing, I don't have kids!