Tuesday

my least favorite parts of being a parent

1 - Feeding them. I hate shopping, cooking, and organizing meals. I continue to abhor this 15 years after first realizing I had to keep another human being nourished 24/7. I like eating what I want, whenever I feel like it. This is not a good way to parent, so I have to make an effort. I hate it.

2 - Dealing with schoolwork at home. Need I say more? Homework sucks.

3 - Stepping on legos

4 - Laundry. I don't mind washing it, but I never get it folded or put away. We have an entire room full of laundry at the moment (it's an extra room upstairs that's like a very large closet, but still...). Maybe we just have too many clothes. Or maybe I've done a truly terrible job of making my children responsible for their own laundry. Yes, that's it. And I don't iron. I have no idea how to iron properly.

5 - Feeling guilty because my work means I can never go on school field trips.

6 - Sleeplessness during the baby phase.

7 - Sibling squabbles

What are your least favorite parts of being a parent? Go ahead, spill. We'll never tell.

21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kate, darling, eating whatever you want, whenever you feel like it isn't only bad for the child, it's bad for you, too.

:-)

Anonymous said...

- Having to "play" when I don;t feel like it. Especialy trains, I am a girl and it does not come naturally.

- Fighting a "nose wipe" every single time. I just can;t stand the site of snot.

-Waking up in general but specifically in the middle of the night for the 3rd time and then waking up at 6 am for the day.

-No such thing as "Me" time. I know this sounds selfish but sometimes I would like to be able to exist without thinking about everyone and everything that needs to be done.

-Being TIRED constantly.

Katharine O'Moore-Klopf said...

Snot, vomit, and the way small children have of climbing in between their snuggling parents, who haven't had an uninterrupted hug or kiss in eons.

Anonymous said...

Worrying about them when they are ill, or become injured.

Anonymous said...

Whhhhhiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnniiiiiiiinnnnnnggggggg.

Anonymous said...

all of the above so far plus potty training, HATED that!
and the "I just need a hug" when in fact he is just stalling for time, I love hugs but come on I'm not dumb :)

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with Katie on the eating. I hate having to stick to rules instead of being flexible and open minded.

Barry Wallace said...

-- I hate enforcing bedtimes, because I'd rather they could stay up late and spend quality time with us.

-- I also hate sensing the slightest hint of an illness in one of them. It turns me inside out to think one might have a fever.

-- The pushing and shoving between siblings. That's when I think about breaking out the straightjackets...

-- Having to arbitrate mostly un-arbitratable situations. "I don't know who was playing with it first, there's no way for me to be fair...here, you have it - you're closer. Now leave me alone..."

Anonymous said...

I hate having to coordinate emergency childcare when Willie gets sick. As a single mom, this is a tad problematic. Thank god that my mom is awesome.
becky

Anonymous said...

1 - hands down, number one thing I hate, is wiping pee from around the base of the toilet (I have two boys). Yes, I try to make them do it, but when I discover a scummy yellow puddle while they're at school, I wipe it.

2 - stepping on legos.

3 - packing lunches. SUCH a tedious job.

4 - squabbling.

5 - whining.

6 - the Wiggles.

-Kayla

Lane said...

- Doctor visits! Especially when they are little. I still have nightmares about holding my two year old daughter still so she could be x-rayed and crying as she screamed. I don't know how this got to be a dad's job, but it still haunts me and she's now 19.

- Not getting to sleep when I want to. I thought this would end once they were older, but no. "Dad, where's the cereal?", "Dad, Quent won't let me watch TV!", "Dad, Dad, Dad..." At least now that they can all tell time I can tell them "In less someone's on fire or bleeding, don't wake me up before 10."

Anonymous said...

We sat down and ate meals when Kate was little, Jon. Honest. We actually sat at the table, ate and talked. We even said the blessing. Maybe that's what did it - the family conversations and pinto beans!

Nashville Knucklehead said...

I hate giving her back to her mom, knowing I won't see her for several days.

ErinOrtlund said...

Pregnancy (except for second trimester)

Having to bend down to clean up toys all day.

Anonymous said...

Omig-d deciding what to cook for bloody dinner everyfrikkinnight!

Not being able to drink my own glass of ice tea. Juice, water, whatever! Without some child saying “can I have some? While putting it to their mouths and back-washing!

pee around the potty ( i have 2 boyz also)

Would be nice if I could have one, just one; phone conversation with out a visit, question, fight, or bloodshed, from some children.

Anonymous said...

Um, I'm not a parent. My white ex-girlfriend joined a black sorority and, well, the rest is fuzzy.

Anonymous said...

- Disciplining. I have a very hard time being consistent, or finding something that consistently works, or something.

- The whole school thing. Homework, paperwork, bullsh*t, having other people in control of large portions of my kids' day . . .

- The constant "What can I eat? I'm hungry!" all day long from someone or another. I actually like to cook, but I hate the feeling of being so RESPONSIBLE for feeding other people.

- Wet beds. I don't mind laundry, really. I kind of like it, even diapers. But I get so tired of washing blankets every single day.

- The constant mess in my house.

Anonymous said...

Wow! I've always been 98% sure I did the right thing by not having kids--thank you all for making it 100%. I could not have done ANY of this stuff for one week, much less a lifetime.
All you parents have my sincere thanks for breeding so I didn't have to, and my best wishes for a moment alone, your own glass of tea, and no pee around the base of your potty.

Anonymous said...

I get as nervous as a cat about trying to make the best decisions about schooling, how much time and money to put into extracurricular stuff, etc. The mistakes are small when they're little (an extra hour of TV won't kill them), but bigger when they get older and stuff like school and socialization are on the line!

knittingwoman said...

I was going to agree that feeding them is really one of those tasks that I hate even still now that we only have 3 left at home. I will add that I have 4 boys and pee everywhere including the toilet continues with only 2 are at home and they are both older teens!!!

Anonymous said...

THe pain of losing them. I lost my 7 year old daughter and my lowest point of being a parent was looking through coffins that cost more than I made in six months and having this utter anger at having to do it.
Reading about child abductions and molestors and fearing them finding my kid.
Having people tell me my kid is angry and needs counseling, when what he needs is to be able to stay home instead of going to daycare.