I'm not married so this isn't going to hapen anytime soon, but honestly...is it as rewarding as some say??? The good vs. bad?
2006-11-01 02:27:21 · 22 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
Wow. I don't think there are any words to describe how wonderful being a mom is. Here's the pros and cons as I see it.
Con: diapers
Pro: they eventually grow out of them and into big girl underwear
Con: lack of sleep
Pro: they eventually sleep
Con: expense
Pro: you can't put a price on the love and bond you get from them. People spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over their lifetime on everything from Wal-Mart crap to Infiniti SUVs to make themselves feel good. Money is a small price to pay for what you receive in return.
Con: Teen years
Pro: They eventually leave home ;)
Con: Tantrums
Pro: I get to hone my diplomacy skills
Pro: first smile; first laugh; first steps; first day of school; breastfeeding; hugs; unconditional love; watching your child and realizing one day that she's not a baby anymore, but a living breathing intelligent child who's ready for school.
The biggest pro, however, is how it's changed me. From the day my first daughter was born, I became someone else. My needs were second always. And you know what? It was about time. I have learned more about being a good and decent human beings from my children than my previous 36 years had taught me.
Every day is not roses and butterflies, but time is so relative - for every day that I'm ready to rip my hair out and run screaming down the street, I'm blessed with a month of days filled with a little girl running in from outside with a small flower she found outside and wanted to give to me - where when I visit her school on Halloween, she doesn't want to walk with her friends to trick or treat at the other classes, she wants to hold my hand and walk with me - where I go into a room at night and watch the two most perfect things that God ever created sleep and I know that He was gracious enough to loan them to me, that He trusted me enough to take care of them - where I can pick a little one off the ground after skinning her knee and make her smile and laugh within moments - where I can take a daughter to the store and hear her say, without prompting, thank you to the person in the bakery who gives her a cookie - where I can make hot chocolate and realize that that's really all it takes to make her happy for that day - where I can go to a fall carnival and win her the smallest prize you can get at a booth and see her light up like I gave her the hope diamond - where I can see my oldest insist on giving my youngest a "hugenakiss" before she'll walk into her classroom.
OK, there are words - but trust me. I haven't even scratched the surface. It's unbelievable. If heaven is even half of what being a mommy is...well, I hope you get the point by now.
2006-11-01 03:03:19 · answer #1 · answered by tagi_65 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As a grandmother and mother i can say that raising children is the hardest most challenging job you will have in your life. It is also the most rewarding for you when you see it through and your kids are doing well and raising beautiful, polite, decent kids themselves then you know that all the other stuff was worth it. The real deal is that it completely changes your life, real responsibility for another life completely in your hands, does something to you. That child is the most important person in the world to you. Overall i would give parenthood a 10 out of 10 but some of the grungy chores that go along with it a 2 so .....!
2006-11-01 02:38:31 · answer #2 · answered by elaeblue 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I have a 2 year old daughter, and she is my life. Watching her doing all her first things is so rewarding. The day she was born was the happiest day of my life. There are ups and downs though. Children are expensive, and if you do have a child, you have to remember you cant go out and do things as you would like. Daycare is expensive if you plan to work. But the ups are so much more rewarding and definetley outweigh the downs. Children are precious, if i could take back getting pregnant, i wouldnt. Just make sure when you do think about having kids, its the right time in your life.
2006-11-01 02:36:48 · answer #3 · answered by Kaleigh P 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well to be honest with you, parenting is not easy & has many downsides, but the rewards FAR outweigh any disadvantages having children gives you.
Some things to consider: (Cons)
Daycare--I pay $200 per kid per week just to work!! Daycare is a monetary draining thing. But if you are a stay at home mom, this is not something you have to deal with.
Time--Consider every minute you have to yourself gone! You no longer exist when it comes to your children, days to yourself become hindered when they get sick, you have noone to watch them or you just can't find the time! You cannot go on vacation without them & if you do work--you have days to take off when school has off--& they get allot off!
Money--Clothes are expensive, shoes are expensive, every toy they want is expensive. Health insurance is wayyyy to expensive, co-pays suck & so do the million dr appointemnts you have to take them too!
But let me tell you this--when you look into you childs eyes, you would change every diaper again, & every single con just disapears! There is not a day goes by that they are not constantly on my mind & I would die for my children....so the cons really are not cons, they are just part of life & the best thing in the world is your children!
Good Luck!
2006-11-01 02:42:24 · answer #4 · answered by Heather 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Raising kids is a humbling experience. It is easy to get caught up in the rat race as an adult. When you raise kids, you actually grow as a person and it can change your perspective on how you view the world. It is healthy for you to be able to see the world through the eyes of child, but with the understanding of an adult. The only way you can do this is to be around kids as they discover the world around them. The down side is that it is a responsibility that you can't get rid of when you are tired.
2006-11-01 02:38:18 · answer #5 · answered by Mr Cellophane 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
That really depends on you. I am the mother of five and each one is blessing in a different way, they are at times also a pain in the butt. All you can do is your best and try to guide them to where you think they should be. All of them daily let me know how much they appreciate what I do for them, even on some of our bad days.Having 2 teenagers is quite a challenge but at the end of the day there is love.
2006-11-01 02:39:01 · answer #6 · answered by maria i 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Not sure which direction you are asking (that is: having kids with or without a husband, or just having kids).
So, I'll just do a shotgun approach to your question.
1. wait until you are married before having kids.
2. you don't have to have kids just because you are married (and don't let the in-laws bug you about when you two will have kids).
3. if you want kids, first get your career started and maybe save some money...you'll want to have good health insurance and some back-up funding.
4. travel a bit before kids - go see the world or at least your own country...enjoy life and experience new things.
5. once you have kids, remember that it is a 24/7 job and don't expect 100% help from your husband...make damn sure he wants kids, too, or you'll never get the help and support you'll need.
6. don't have more than two kids...it's like trying to nail jello to the wall, especially if you are a single-parent. One kid is okay to have but watch out that you don't spoil the kid. Two works out best as they have a play-partner and that will relieve you to do other stuff around the house.
7. kids will grow out of their clothes faster than you can earn money and they constantly get sick (see #3 for money/insurance advice).
8. kids are the best thing to happen to a parent who really wants one and is willing to give 100% of themselves to their kids...that means raising them with manners, morals, ethics and a good education. They will teach YOU more about yourself than you actually thought possible.
Hope this helps.
2006-11-01 02:38:30 · answer #7 · answered by docscholl 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I figured I was never going to have kids, I was a tom boy, no Barbies or dress-up for me as a kid. As I got older I could never picture myself as a Mom...it was just never going to be in my future.
Then I got married at 33 and got pregnant. The entire pregnancy I was having second thoughts...cold feet even but knew I couldn't turn back now. As I got bigger & bigger, ribs got broken, pain & discomfort took over and I really couldn't believe that I had let this happen.
Then he was born, after the crowds of people finally left us alone that first night we could finally just hang out together. I tell you when I woke up the next morning with that little guy in my arms, clenching onto my finger that was it...I was officially a Mom and had met the love of my life.
Now 3 years later, he is a handfull, all boy & energy to spare. He drives us crazy but we know we couldn't live without him. After all the poop, barf, snot, tantrums, laughs, new & exciting things to be discovered....yes it is worth it.
Completely worth it...gotta love them. (all it takes is one "I wuv you Mommy" and your heart will melt & you will forget all the other crap)
2006-11-01 03:03:48 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is very hard raising them physically and sometimes financially. and they can get on your nerves and you may sometimes feel like throwing them through a wall or window. but there are always moments that make you feel like there the reason you get up every morning and you don't know what you would do without them. with my son who is now 8 he most of the time is in trouble but he has his moments of asking me if i'm ok and if i need something and when they do that it can cause you to cry from being so happy and finally realizing that you actually have done something right raising them.
2006-11-01 02:39:43 · answer #9 · answered by divatrucker25 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
what a mature young lady you are to think about this so seriously! i have 4 kids,been married 25 years,i highly recommend motherhood!!!! it's the best thing a woman can devote herself to. it's rewarding and very fulfilling. sure,there are bad days,but let's be honest,there is a downside to EVERYTHING in life,and if we avoid those things,life would be dull! embrace every moment...life's too short!
2006-11-01 02:53:18 · answer #10 · answered by tinaluvsglass 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋