Saturday, October 07, 2006

To All Who Contemplate Parenthood

Firstly, you will love your child. You don't have much choice in that. If you think you do, don't become a parent.

Secondly, you will not always like your child. You will even be angry with your child sometimes. But you will still love them and you will work it out in a rational way. If you think you can't do this, don't become a parent.

Thridly, you will get tired. A lot. Some of us may look like we're depressed, but we're not. Really we're just tired. Most of us have two jobs after all, one of which is used to pay for the other.

Sometimes this happens because things happen in the middle of the night. You like to have time to yourself but it ends up being after the kids have gone to bed. And then you don't get as much sleep as you should anyway.

Sometimes this is why when your autistic younger monkey decides at 1 in the morning to wake the dead out of you with unconsolable wailing at the top of his vocal chords and your elder monkey is clinging to you because you think someone has come into your house, attacking your children, hiding in the shadows waiting for slumber to set in again to make it's move...

You will not sleep because you can't. You will be tired because the your younger monkey wants to sleep in his blanket with you all night. You will be sick because you are allergic to his blanket and you can't breathe. You will be angry at the people who aren't there in your house but still scare you anyway. You will be irritated when morning rolls around and your kids are wide awake but you are not.

And you will still love your child. If you can do this, be a parent. We need more of your kind.

6 comments:

Adam said...

Beautifully said.

Anonymous said...

I spent some time living with a young family, and now I have so much respect for parents and what they go through out of love for their children.

This was beautiful, and your kids are very lucky to have you.

Lee said...

What they said!

My youngest nephew is autistic (he's 10) and I know what my sister and her partner go through so I know it isn't easy.

dpaste said...

I had no idea about the younger monkey. I have a friend with four kids and the second youngest is autistic.

Sharon said...

You mean I am not really depressed but just tired?! ;-)

I have 2 autistic monkeys. Amazing kids but...you know the rest. Love.

Paul said...

An incredible tribute to you and your family. There's no better -- or harder -- job than that of a father.