For me, it started from birth when people would say "The first six weeks are the hardest, then it gets much easier." This statement went from six weeks, to eight weeks to 12 weeks to six months and then 12 months. Let's face it, the first 18 years are hard. My mum would probably say the first 43 years are hard.
When I had Goosey, a lot of people would say "It will be hard at first, having two close in age, but it will be wonderful when they can entertain each other and play together." I had images of them playing tea parties for hours on end. Well, they do play together, which is wonderful, but now they also fight – a lot. The lovey-dovey games can turn to all out war in a matter of seconds and the screeching and crying is driving me completely insane at the moment. I feel like a referee constantly sorting out differences and who's done what.
I love having kids who are out of the baby stage, they're little people with their own minds and personalities. They're fun, cute and entertaining, but my word, they are hard work. As neither of them are in any sort of care, I now find myself as full-time entertainer, teacher and activities master, as well as stay-at-home mum. They rarely sleep in the day so, filling in the hours from 5am - 7pm can be tough. In the past, when a trip to the shops or a walk down the street was enough to entertain, they now need much more. Each morning, Lil-lil asks: "Where are we going today?" so if we don't have a planned activity I find myself racking my brains for something to entertain them. Yesterday, it was planting flowers, today, well, I think we'll head to the zoo. Their bodies and minds are aching to be stretched and challenged.
In all honesty, this is the most tiring stage I've been through with them. It's unrelenting. When one was a kid and the other was a baby, it was challenging in some ways, but having a compliant baby who's just happy to get out and see the trees and not ask to do something different from her sister was fairly easy in hindsight. Now I have two distinct little personalities who have their own wants and demands (and boy so they know what they want).
Things will be a bit easier when Lil-lil heads off to preschool and I know she'll be thrilled with the stimulation and vast supply of friends.
In saying all this, yes it's exhausting and yes I sometimes would like to have a little lie down and read a book, I don't regret a moment of it. Being able to spend these years with them is amazingly special and a gift I treasure, even if I do end up kissing the front gate of Lil-lil's school when the time finally comes.
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It's amazing how something you enjoy and love so much like Motherhood, can be tricky and abit cumbersome to navigate huh?
ReplyDeleteMy Mum has always told me it doesn't get easier, but it does get different as they grow. To think I'll actually miss the toddler phase one day makes me giggle! :)
I had two kids that were 16 mos apart, a girl then a boy. Its was very hard work. They didn't play together a lot, mostly they just fought, constantly. Now they are 25 and 26 and they still don't get along well. They never "grew out of it".
ReplyDeleteEven as teens they fought all the time. It doesn't get easier but it does change into something different. Even at the age they are now, there are stressors for the parents.
I have never regretting having them either.:-)