All the Ways That Mommyhood Changed You?

On a lighter note: since becoming a Mommy 8 years ago, I can't cough or sneeze without crossing my legs first ;)

I have come to appreciate sleep on a whole new level.

As my son gains words, I seem to lose them. I used to have a great ... oh what is it called again? Oh yes, vocabulary. Now, I have way more, "on the tip of my tongue" moments than I ever had before.
Sigh. Maybe as he gets older and our conversations become more nuanced, I'll get the vocab back. Or maybe when I help him study for the SATs one day.

Actually, I'm at a point where I need to start changing BACK to pre-mommyhood (youngest is 15). And I am having a HELL of a time remembering HOW to be me first.

Now I've got all the time in the world to pursue interests, clean house, exercise, SLEEP, and so on. And I Just. Can't. Do. Anything.

I can't do ANYTHING someone else doesn't NEED me to do for THEM.

It's like I honestly cannot even remember WHO I AM.

:(

Welcome to, 'Mommyhood'!!!!!!!!!!!!! No worries it's all in the norm', as you become more mommy & less supervisor (unless you still need to maintain that @ work, THEN eventually you WILL learn to multitask better as you need to, I PROMISE) these things won't be so important any longer & after you have conquered the, 'new' momminess you will find time to still take care of YOU, the woman!

Unless you are a single mom, give the bills to your significant other to pay, gotta have a house, a car & electric for your child! If you are a single mom burn that midnight oil to make sure the bills get paid! :)

I think everything you described would be what changed. Except I have never been organized!

Totally normal. I think I've just learned to live with those "little" things because they smile and I forget!

However, I still have little patience...but I've learned to pick my battles (because of kids) both at home and outside of the home. To me that is plus. I used to get so emotional, grumpy, pissed off about things. Then I learned that wearing pink today might not be her thing, or yesterdays type of cereal is not the type he wants today. I just fix something else suggest another color and move on.

ETA: Oh jeez Laura...you reminded me of more! :) see I can't even think about what has changed it's the new norm.

Being a Mom (in my opinion) is like changing from caterpillar to butterfly - you will NEVER be the same again, but that's a good thing! :)

I relate to every single thing everyone has written. My "babies" are respectively 19 and 16 years old and I'm finding this new "phase" just as challenging as bringing baby home for the first time!

I have learnt to be more "present" because I've seen how quickly time passes. I used to be worried about the future and / or worked up about past hurts instead of taking a breath and appreciating the moment. I have learnt to tell people that I love them, because I can't assume that they know I do! I have learnt to pick my battles. I have learnt to compromise. I'm slowly learning to love myself, because I am (at least partly) responsible for the awesome teens I've raised. No matter what, they are my greatest achievement! :)

I guess I'm not the person I was BC (Before Children) but, in many ways, I'm a better person now! :)

Everything you said. Except the bills - my husband takes care of those, whew! I haven't had a hair cut in 7 months (and it is NEEDED!!).
Multi-tasking is somethings I still try to do. But it takes forever! Even my quick meals take longer.

I LOVE being a mom to my 2 sweet girls, but it's really hard some days! One of the hardest things is really connecting with my wonderful husband. I'm thankful for date nights, but when we are at home with the kids, I feel like I usually have at least part of my brain wondering if they're okay, if they're asleep yet, etc.

I just said to a friend the other day...one of the biggest adjustments is that I'm almost never alone. When my kids are napping, I'm "by myself", but that isn't quite the same.

I think it's important for us to remember that in the grand scheme of things, this is a very short stage of life. I want to take care of my family and home, but the people part of that has to come first. In 1.5 years, my oldest will be in school, and my youngest will follow her 3 years later. I'm sure I'll have other things to keep me busy then, but I know it will be a different stage...fewer toys around, etc. And then I'll miss this time.

Here's to living each day and enjoying the good and difficult. Once a day is gone it will not come again...

One of my voice students is singing this song, and the words really spoke to me yesterday. Reminded me that time passes oh so quickly...

Loveliest of Trees (A.E. Housmann, from "A Shropshire Lad")

Loveliest of trees, the cherry now is hung with bloom along the bough,
And stands about the woodland ride wearing white for Eastertide.

Now, of my three-score years and ten, twenty will not come again.
And take from seventy springs a score, it only leaves me fifty more.

And since to look at things is bloom, fifty springs are little room.
About the woodlands I will go to see the cherry hung with snow.

I actually got more organized in many ways. I have to have things go back where they belong or I go insane and have no time for misplaced items, especially in the diaper bag. But that does not mean my house is not a mess, it is!!! Toys, kids clothes on floor, piles of laundry. I have no time for 4 hour cleaning sprees let alone all day cleaning days, so I have to do it in increments and I make use of 15 min here and 15 min there. I don't let anything pile up like I once did, because I know I don't have any large chuncks of time coming my way to get from underneath it all.
I've become less vain
I am a scatter brain (seriously don't know how anyone goes back to work after babies)
I keep things simple, which i never used to do before.
don't be hard on yourself. Didn't everyone warn you your life would never be the same? Its good. Is it that you don't feel important anymore? Well you are important. Irreplaceably important to the only one that really matters- your kid. The messy house thing is a phase (unless of corse you are an artist type like me and had a messy house before kids).

Ditto to everything you said! And then some! And yet it is so easy to notice all the negative. On the positive side, motherhood has made me much more compassionate, understanding, warm, and affectionate, and not just with my kids - it does permeate my whole life. I have a much better long term perspective on life, and I really enjoy the good stuff because I know there's lots of tedium in between. My sense of humor has improved, I find motherhood stressful and I just need to laugh more so I make sure I find humor in things. I think things will get easier as the kids get bigger, but I can't be sure about that yet. But overall, a good trade off. I'll bet you've changed in some amazing ways too but haven't had the time to notice!

I actually find myself to be more efficient and productive than ever. It's like I was forced to be. I think I gained MORE multi-tasking abilities.

I have MORE of a drive to keep things organized and clutter-free because I am not just doing for me, but for the good of the household. I was such a procrastinator when it was just me!

And the thing that HappyMama said about losing words... SO true. I tell me husband it's the Kelly Bunday effect (if you remember that old Married w/ Children episode)... I have so much new info in my head for the kids (pediatrician's phone numbers, weights, favorites colors, toys etc) that other information has been forced out and forgotten. Simple things like the right word for what you are trying to say! I totally get it.

Funny enough, and against all my expectations, I have not changed at all. I still feel like I am 10 years old. The clutter is true, and things are sticky a lot, and I find food items everywhere... But that is just the outside. My inside has not really matured much, but I was also able to take care of those around me very well. It's my husband who was really changed and grown up so much. I think too much...

Well, everything you said applies to me, too. But, I have also become more confrontational since becoming a mother. I'm much more likely to say something to someone (a stranger) if they are doing something inappropriate. Especially if my kids are around, or other kids are around.

Also, I'm much more emotional. So much more likely to cry about things. Esp when thinking about my kids!