Today, it hit me that my 3-year-old has outgrown his beloved special blanket. Meanwhile, I realized I’ve never rocked my 21-month-old to sleep since, well, she’s the third child. In our house, the third child gets a quick kiss goodnight and is promptly placed in her crib—no fanfare necessary. Now that my eldest has moved on from bedtime snuggles and my middle child only wants to be rocked occasionally, I’m left longing to cradle someone to sleep, for crying out loud!
Honestly, motherhood can make me feel like a total nutcase. And you know what? I am a bit of a nutcase. To illustrate my point, I’ve dug up a family photo from October 2012, just two months after what I call The Great Negotiation. Seriously, everything about that picture screams, “LET’S HAVE MORE KIDS!”
What Was The Great Negotiation?
It was an epic battle I waged for months, trying to persuade my poor husband that we absolutely needed more children, despite the fact that we were barely making ends meet on one income while managing two rambunctious boys—one of whom was still an infant. It seemed totally logical to me to toss in one more baby for good measure.
This is how I know there’s something a little off in the minds of mothers. The Great Negotiation culminated during a date night at Outback Steakhouse, where my husband finally caved and said, “FINE. But I need to get a vasectomy before the baby arrives.” To which I replied, “FINE. I’m ordering a beer.”
Fast forward less than a year, and our little girl made her grand entrance. Fast forward another year, and I was regretting the vasectomy decision. Because, let’s face it, I have a mental condition—it’s called being a Mother.
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In summary, motherhood can feel like a wild ride that sometimes makes us question our sanity. But hey, we’re all in this together, navigating the ups and downs of parenting one day at a time!