Things I never knew about being a parent until I became one...
Before you become a parent, there are lots of things that you think of that you'll have to worry about. When you finally get there, you realize that some were well warranted, some were not and some were just way far afield of what you believed. At the same time, you discover lots of new things that would just never occur to you. Such as:
- Kids hurt themselves. A lot. I'm not sure there has been a single day since Sam learned to walk (or even crawl) where he hasn't smacked into something, hurting his foot, knee, arm, face, head, etc. Not that they take any permanent damage (that I can tell) from it, but it certainly seems painful. It's amazing kids are as happy as they are.
- If you are a father, you will be kicked in the balls. A lot. Not intentionally (I think), but toddlers have no concept of where your vitals are, even if they are aware for their own. This happens a lot while they climb on you, in itself a fun and bond building activity, but where they'll somehow always find that the best purchase for their feet is somewhere between your gut and your thighs. Not that I take any permanent damage (that I can tell) from it, but it certainly is painful. It's amazing fathers are as happy as they are.
- Boobs fix everything. I suppose I've always known that in my heart, and I can't say that has changed much over the years, even if the method of boob application to make things better has changed. But it seems true in almost every situation that if a situation seems unrecoverable, hand the kid over to the one with boobs. Everything is alright after that.
I'm sure there are other observations along the same categories, but I don't have any more off hand. I'll update as I see fit, and I'm sure some of you others (if any of you have kids... get with it, for Christ's sake!) may have others to add. :)