I expect my children to be grateful for all the things I do for them, I bloody mean it.
I don’t go in for this “I’m a mum, it’s just what we do” business. Who says that? Who says that as mothers we are to wipe shit, work, cook, drive, clean, drive, drive, drive because we are programmed to do so out of some kind of natural maternal instinct that kicks in the moment they pop out.
Bullshit. I think some children believe that it is in their mother’s DNA to love soaking their skiddy jocks, ironing their shirts and baking the entire class gluten, nut, wheat, dairy and integrity free cakes for the fete. Sorry dick heads, it isn’t. (I’m sure your child isn’t a dick head, I just got a bit caught up, forgive me.)
I’m busting that well worn theory right open. As always — if you are a woman who thrives on doing countless tasks for your children and the only thanks you require is the happy smile on their faces, then GREAT! Well done and what are you smoking?
Kidding!
I am a firm believer in teaching children about true gratitude. As soon as our kids can sit upright, we teach them “ta”. They have no idea what it means but they do know they’ll get another tiny teddy to suck the soul out of and smash up their noses so they say it, over and over again. As they get older, we drill “please” and “thank-you” into them, so that they will be able to trot it out for elderly relatives and for when they are in public and you are being judged by their manners. The thing is, I am pretty sure that most small people don’t really feel the thanks they are expressing. I want my kids to actually BE grateful, not just encourage them to be.
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Here's some gratitude: Thank christ you're not my mother.
I promise I'm not smoking anything and if smoking something would have helped me take less than 5 years to have a baby I would have happy lit up.
I do all of those chores and arse wiping with an overwhelming sense of gratitude that I get the opportunity to it.
If you had been pregnant 14 times and shot crazy hormones into your body for years, the sense of joy having a child who needs you to bake cupcakes for is impossible to put into words. And I'll happily accommodate and lactose, gluten, nut, sesame or kiwi fruit allergy because the anxiety of losing my non-allergy kid is quite high, I'm not going to add to someone else's. Children are such a blessing and so is getting to wipe their bottoms.
Do you just have the one child then??
Having just changed the shitty, god-awful smelling nappy of my niece, I can categorically say that getting to wipe a baby's bottom is not a f*kn blessing. Her cheeky smiles are, but the arse wiping is not. As an aside, I kind of feel like there's always a comment or two on these kind of articles written by a woman who has had fertility issues making the rest of us feel guilty for complaining about things to do with our babies. We get it - you struggled to have the kid, now you've got it, you'll do anything for it, awesome, but there's really no need for the holier than thou sentiments.
I'm with you Sarah....at the time there were times that were difficult, smelly and at times down right gross. But I understand exactly where you are coming from and have no doubt your intension was not to make anyone feel guilty. At almost 50 and my eldest son being 29, I can assure anyone who cares (or doesn't), that all those things become precious memories. My three children, are still the greatest achievements of my life.