Positive stories!

pentzbar000

New member
Can someone tell me positive parent stories? I’m genuinely terrified. Everything ,
e v e r y t h i n g I read is negative. It’s scaring me so much.
People saying they thought of telling family member to adopt their babies, people saying they missed their old lives and regret having children, traumatising stories.
Please don’t take my post the wrong way. I just really need you to tell me some positive stories.
 
@pentzbar000 One of the best things in the world is when your baby is still tiny enough they need to breast feed or eat from a bottle, but old enough to smile and play. They make this utterly delighted little grin around the nipple and pat your chest or face and gaze you dead in the eye with the most blissed out loving look. It's fantastic. My kid is 18 and sometimes those memories still burst back into my mind and I miss that tiny bundle so much.
 
@strikewfire Or when they start to make little baby noises, even just laying in your arms. It's the most adorable sound I've ever heard and can picture my son lying on the bed in front of me, just moving his mouth around making noises. You fall in love instantly. I counted every finger and toe when I got the chance and just admired every little thing while mine grew. It is a huge life changer, but I would never in a million years regret any bit of it.
 
@pentzbar000 I’m not gonna lie, that first year is tough. Those first 4 months are so challenging!

But in at year 3 now and my baby is so so sweet. She’s so smart and funny.

I feel like I get to relive my childhood with her. I feel so lucky to be able to do that again. I didn’t have the best childhood so seeing her thrive is healing.
 
@sweetsocalbutterfly2019 Having two hit me HARD. Like questioning all my life decisions hard. I might have been one of those offering for my mil just to keep them 🤣.

BUT now my babies are 5 and 2.5 and I LOVE being a mom. I actually pick my 2 year old up from daycare early just to get a few snuggles before his sister gets home on the bus.

If I had a choice of going out to the club or partying and staying home on a Saturday night having popcorn and watching movies with my kids, I would choose the latter every time. Being a parent is hard, but once they're a bit older and you adjust to a new lifestyle I actually feel bad for my friends that don't have families.

Granted, I have a mil willing to babysit all the time, so that helps me get plenty of adult time without them. If I had no support I might feel differently.
 
@sweetsocalbutterfly2019 I agree! I get to watch my kids enjoy the moments I can remember, and I somewhat relive it with them. Knowing they will have those memories of all of us together is heartwarming 😌 Even just watching them play outside and remembering how different and the amount of fun it could be when I was a child is so nostalgic and I could watch them play for hours.
 
@pentzbar000 You poor thing. You got it. I love being a mother to my kids.

I never really saw myself as a parent. I was an only child of a single mother, and it was really hard growing up. We were rather poor, and I was her caregiver, and I struggled mentally and with addiction, so I was shocked I made it to 20. I never saw myself as a mom.

Then after my first year of marriage, I would wake up on Saturday mornings and for some reason, I wished I would be doing kid things. Like going to soccer. Going to baseball. Ruining a perfectly good Saturday morning by watching my kids play. I never had that as a kid but somehow I wanted that.

So when we had our first son, I had no idea what I was doing. The pediatrician we visited first put some really bad ideas in my head that in hindsight were incredibly destructive and she should be ashamed of herself. She said he could have a touch of cerebral palsy, based on the fact that his shoulders were loose, and that's it. And she said it so nonchalantly, like that wasn't a major diagnosis. And that sent me into an OCD spiral where I was just constantly afraid of everything he did. Every time he did some thing I would go on a forum and panic myself until I was in extreme depression. And I know that sounds terrible, but I'm just telling you because it got so much better. I did get help for my post partum depression, I had a fabulous therapist who broke me out of that anxiety cycle and sent me on a positive path toward being a relaxed parent.

Everything turned around, and I loved every minute of being a mom. God kids make you laugh. I can't even tell you. Just all day laughing as they discover the world and say cute things, it's so heartwarming. I had my second pretty much right away, and by that time I knew that may babies wouldn't break, I knew what to expect. He also had loose shoulders but I wasn't worried because my oldest did and he developed fine. I was better at nursing the second time around, please make sure you advocate for yourself to get a good lactation consultant. Mine showed me how to express my own milk, because my first son was tongue-tied and they didn't catch it for a while and he actually started not feeding well (always something to look out for). And that helped a ton in avoiding mastitis and just generally understanding how breasts work, bc I honestly didn't know 😅 And all it was was just me being more confident. Babies are so little and they feel fragile when they're born, but I learned early on they're pretty tough. Tougher than you would think. By my third child I knew exactly how I progressed in labor, and I already had everything I needed. And I knew what I didn't need. That's very important. I got all these things for my first kids thinking that they needed them for their development, but a lot of it was all just trying to do the best I could for my kids in a misguided fashion. They really don't need much especially at first. Just diapers, cuddles, food, and a very safe place to sleep.

Ever since the boys were four, three and one, it's been nonstop hilarity. They are so delightful. I am not kidding when I say I will laugh 80% of the time I'm hanging out with them. And all I've done is just let them be themselves. They're funny, kind, smart, and generally just really great children. I don't know if it's because of some thing I did or some thing my ex did, but they were so easy. My first was a little high needs, but I blame that on my lack of confidence, and things that weren't caught like his tongue tie, and Gerd.

Now they're eight, 10 and 11. My first just started middle, I don't know where the time went. And most of my Saturdays are completely shot with back to back baseball or soccer games. Just like I wanted 🤗 But it's been the best 11 years of my life. By far. It is not always easy. I think I didn't sleep for more than three hours a night for a few years. I went a little crazy I'm not gonna lie. That part is rough, and if there's anything you can do to make sure you get enough sleep, do it.

Newborn cuddles are just heavenly. Watching them explore their new little bodies is adorable. Seeing them discover their feet, discover your clothes, looking into your eyes… There's nothing like it in the world. I didn't have much of a childhood growing up, but I got one now. I have been playing with my kids since they could play, coloring, playing with swords and remote control things. It's so fulfilling. And it makes me feel closer to my mother even though she's passed on now. I feel like I know her better than I've ever known her before, by mothering my children. I appreciate all she gave to me so much more now.

Sorry that was a lot. I don't want to sugarcoat it and say everything's always gonna be OK, because it's not. It won't be always OK. But to me? It's always been 100% worth it. More worth it than I ever could've known when I first got pregnant.

Seriously. The best decision I ever made my life.
 
@pentzbar000 There's more good days than bad. People complain non stop about their jobs and continue going back to work 😂

Parenting is a job too. Some days you have a great time, other days, not so much.

Parenting isn't a negative experience for everyone and sometimes people just want to vent. The early years were definitely rough because you lose a big chunk of your free time and your identity but then you build it back up. It's not as horrible as people make it out to be!
 
@pentzbar000 Those negative stories happen. The bad days coupled with sleep deprivation are unpleasant, of course they are. People tend to forget how few there are in the long run though.

We're at the tail end of month four, and if you approach it with a sense of humour, it doesn't stay bad. A ten week old doesn't know you just called them Satan when you told them you loved them, but it made me laugh. It's all trivial things at the beginning and it gets better fast. Just not in a linear way.
 
@pentzbar000 People come online to complain.

I'm going to jinx myself, but my kids are terrific. My older daughter (age 11) is so smart, so thoughtful, and so compassionate and helpful. She makes up games specifically so that she can play with her little sister (age 2). She likes cooking and baking with me and enjoys just about any type of outing; the pool, the beach, a play, the zoo, a playground, or just going shopping. She's a talented runner and likes to push herself to do better. She has always been a pretty easy kid who will eat anything, who sleeps well, who does her homework, and keeps her room clean. She was a unicorn baby who slept through the night as soon as she regained her birth weight. She's had normal colds and a couple of urgent care visits (for nursemaid elbow as a preschooler and for a really high fever as an 11 month old) but has generally been very healthy. She used to put herself in timeout (which made it really hard to punish her). She has anxiety issues and perfectionism, but is trying really hard to work through them.

Our younger daughter has the cutest little personality. She likes to lead "movement time" at dinner and pretend to be an airplane. She's learning to sing the ABC's, will do anything for a mini M&M, loves baby dolls, and can be (mostly) trusted with crayons. She can draw circular shapes and tries to color within the lines. She likes toddler ballet and is always kind to the other kids. She will eat anything and while she was not a unicorn baby, has reliably slept through the night for over a year. She has a congenital medical condition (and a fair number of doctor's visits) and can be a bit low energy for a toddler, but she's learning like a sponge. It's amazing to watch her learn new words and put together new concepts- sometimes you see the lightbulb turn on. She has the cutest little laugh and delights at all types of things- especially books with finger puppets built in. She'll ask me to read the same book 3 times in a row; and I will because it makes her squeal each time. She adores her older sister and sometimes just calls out "I love you (older sister's name)." She causes very little mischief (we haven't even installed cabinet locks on most of our cupboards and drawers because she doesn't get into things). She's a good traveler and a good "tag along" when we're doing activities aimed at her big sister.

I love parenting these two. Sometimes my older daughter deliberately annoys her baby sister. Sometimes they are both having a hard morning (one day earlier this month they were both in tears as we were trying to leave on time to get to school/ daycare/ work). Some days I'm touched out, the house is a mess, and the dishes and laundry are piling up. But overall, it's amazing. The first 12 weeks with a new baby are a blur, but having kids is amazing.
 
@pentzbar000 My kids are 20mo apart. My second was also born with a cleft lip and palate which has so far resulted in 2 surgeries before the age of 1. With several more down the road.

Definitely hard at times but we love both of them more than life. Each stage has their own challenges That require adapting and changing your “plan”.

You do things you didn’t expect you would but it’s ever evolving to what you need now. Everyone will tell you what to do/not do based on their experiences/beliefs but as long as what you’re doing is safe, there’s no right/wrong.

I have a friend, who I chat with daily for 4 years. I don’t always agree with her parenting choices and I’m sure she doesn’t always agree with mine. But, we are still supportive even though our experiences are different.

Self care is going to help you well but you may have to make time for it. It won’t always come naturally
 
@pentzbar000 Not stories, but moments I've written down and thought of several times in the last 3 months

• My husband was being a dork one morning while holding our son. Talking to him in this goofy voice. I can't remember what he was saying, but the baby laughed. Like actually laughed, not a poop smile, not a fluke. I think he was 3 weeks old.

• His little baby smiles! No tooth smiles are the cutest.

• He blows raspberries at us, then giggles. All the time. He drools all over the place after, though 😂

• He smiles almost every time he sees me or his dad.

• When he was born (literally seconds after they caught him), he lifted his head up and looked DIRECTLY at me, as if to acknowledge that "Hey, this is the person who gave me life, I love her."

• When he's fussy and I give him his pacifier, he'll grab my hand and hug it to his chest.

• Similarly, if I give him a toy to play with, he'll take it, pet it, play with it, and hug it.

• Every time he's about to sneeze, he makes the most adorable noise.

• When he's nursing, he'll look right at me and just stare. Sometimes, I'll get little smiles or giggles while he's eating.

• Baby yawns. That's it. Just. Baby yawns.

•When he starts getting sleepy, his eyes droop, and then snap open, and then droop again... repeat cycle.

• We went out to see Christmas lights a couple of days ago, and he LOVED them. His eyes widened any time he looked at the lights, and he giggled a lot while watching them.

• Sleepy smiles
 
@pentzbar000 My youngest is 4. We took him to see Santa this weekend and the smile on his face when he saw him; genuine, untouched childhood joy. It was definitely a Hallmark moment. Then to hear him tell his grandparents about the experience, was absolutely amazing. All the excitement and animation. The whole thing was one of those stories you save in that special place in your heart.

There's always going to be bad things out there and tough days. Don't let it scare you, most people on the Internet are over dramatic and like to embellish. With all the struggles and difficult times, I still couldn't imagine a world without my children in it.
 
@pentzbar000 Honestly stay off Reddit for awhile. I had to do the same post party because it was so overwhelmingly negative. People come here to vent and that’s okay but realize Reddit is a small fraction of the outside world.

Positive story: my baby is the absolute joy of my life! Have there been hard moments? Absolutely, but at almost 7 months now, he’s the sweetest boy and just seeing him smile when he wakes up makes my day!

I’ve stepped up for my baby in a way I never used to for myself. He gives me so much drive to be the best I can be for him! Even on difficult days my husband and I end the day scrolling through the 8 million pics we now have of him and happy cry about how big he’s getting.

Much of my 20s I didn’t want kids and now I shake my head at the thought of never having what I have now. An all encompassing love I could never have even imagined.

Good luck!! Being a parent is wonderful! Don’t dwell in the negative 💜
 
@sofia55 The end of day pic scrolling captures it all. Even on the hardest days I can’t help but go back and look at all the funny and precious things this little boy did. 💛
 
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