We’ve got three kids. They’re all in elementary school now, but let me tell you, I will never forget (or, do I even want to remember?) the days when we had three babies under three years old. Picture this: we’re at a local donut shop one early, way too early morning (because...babies) and we spot another parent with three kids. His kids were a few years older than ours, sitting calmly, peacefully enjoying their donuts while we looked like a traveling circus minus the fun. Yelling, crying, probably some donut flinging. Total chaos.
This saintly parent, who clearly had his $h!t together, leans over and tells us, “It gets easier.” Cue our wide-eyed, desperate faces as we cling to this promise like it’s the last donut in the shop: “WHEN does it get easier?” His answer? “In about three years.”
Well, three years have come and gone, and guess what? The man wasn’t wrong. But here’s the thing that stuck with me: he didn’t judge us, didn’t give us unsolicited advice on how to parent while our lives were literally in flames. He just gave us hope. Now, should he maybe have said “three weeks” to spare our sanity? Probably. Was he right, though? Absolutely.
Fast forward to now. Occasionally, I’ll see comments from parents saying, “You shouldn’t let your baby sleep with that Rest Otter product.” And you know what? They’re right! The American Academy of Pediatrics says nothing should be in the crib with your baby, and I fully agree with that. But here’s the deal: I’m not here to judge your parenting. People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones—or pacifiers, for that matter.
Before I had my first kid (heck, before I had all three!), I had a ton of rules about how I was going to parent. You want to know how many of those rules I stuck to? Zero. Why? Because I had to survive. My mom once told me I started sleeping through the night at six weeks old. SIX. WEEKS. Really, Mom? She had me in another room without a monitor, so forgive me if I’m skeptical about how much “sleeping” I was really doing back there. Was she the best mom ever? Yes. Was she perfect? To me, absolutely.
So, let’s all remember: it takes a village to raise these little humans. And instead of tearing each other down, let’s try lifting each other up. We’re all in this wild ride together!