When you're not a parent...

When you're not a parent, you think differently than when you are one. That seems pretty obvious - but only once you become a parent. I know a lot of things can be like that, you don't notice "that" kind of car everywhere until you've just bought one. You can think couple-y stuff is dumb and then you meet your future husband or wife and all you want to do is that stuff. I get it - I just think its pretty funny. I can tell you that although I have worked with kids since I was 17 and have been babysitting since way before that, I still never got it until I became a parent myself.





Pre-kids, I used to hear some people's conversations with their kids and think, "oh my gosh, this is why some kids are so stupid because the parents are so dumb themselves." Yes, I judged and had no idea. Now, I wish I could apologize to every parent I ever thought that about (unless you actually are that stupid and then, I'm just sorry for that!). Here's what I mean (and this is a very mild case of this). Yesterday, we went to Trader Joe's and Charlotte was asking for everything. She just loves to snack. She asked for an apple, then a banana, eventually a pear. I didn't want her eating a piece of fruit through the store and we weren't planning on buying any that day and I certainly didn't want her to have a meltdown...which was coming.


I finally just had to touch the pear and tell her that none of them were good. All the pears are bad. Now, if you were listening to me, you might have touched a pear yourself and thought - she's dumb, they're perfect. And you know what, non-parent me would have thought the same exact thing so I don't blame you. The thing is - you have to lie to your kids. You don't want them lying to you, ever...but you probably lie to them every day. And guess what non-parents - all parents aren't dumb, we're just lying!





The other thing about not being a parent is that when things are happening to kids and you think it is concerning - it is more worrying to you than to the parents. It's not because as parents we don't care, it's that, the thing that you might be so concerned about happens every few minutes to us. We're used to it - little things don't phase us anymore. Today I had to run to the store with Charlotte and Jack to get some sugar. Yes, I HAD to. You need sugar to have tea...and in our English household, you need tea. So, Jack was in the front pack, Charlotte in the little crappy umbrella stroller that barely turns that she insists she rides in. Of course it doesn't have any storage so I'm holding my wallet, the sugar, and lifting Jack's head. I get up to the register and the young guy checking me out looks really concerned. He finally says, "uuh, he's spitting or something there." Yup, that white, cottage-cheesy stuff is puke buddy. I calmly look around Jack's head to see and I wipe it with my fingers and onto the bottom of my shirt (because honestly, my shirt already had puke on it from the walk in from the car). This guy looked absolutely distraught. He was just watching me with such concern and disgust and then he asks if I want a papertowel. I nicely said, "no thanks." That really got him. "Really, are you sure?" Yeah dude, I've already wiped it all with my hands and it's just a bit of puke, I'm good! (No, I didn't say that, but I was thinking it) He was really concerned about the whole thing.


I do get that it seems horribly gross when it's not your kid and you're probably thinking I'm crazy - but I'm okay with that. I did it to other parents before I was one and now, all those people are doing it to me. Just know that if no one is bleeding, crying, peeing or pooing...it's not really that big of a deal. :-)