Random Thoughts

I was talking to a friend a while back about all this blogging and where we get our "inspiration." The fact is you can't just sit down at the computer and expect to be brilliant or clever. For me, these random thoughts come at night. Every single night of my life I lay in bed before falling asleep and think about my day, my life, my world. This blog is actually really nice for me because now I have an outlet for all these random thoughts.
My thoughts last night were of, what else, my kids. It's only been 3 1/2 years of this motherhood business for me so it is still, quite evidentally, a new adventure and learning experience. Anyway, this is what I have to share today:
As a new baby arrives (especially for a first time mom) we start in with our instincts and philosophies about how to deal with this little pink thing. The major focus for the first couple of years is sleep, eating, bathroom needs and training. We read books, talk to other moms and fumble our way through. What has suprised me recently is how all of a sudden you look at your child and he/she is sleeping in their big bed, going to the bathroom alone, helping themself to a snack or getting some water from the fridge. They are getting in to the car and in to their carseat without help, entertaining their younger sibling and putting their own clothes on. What I'm getting at is all that hard work that gets put in to raising a small child really pays off. Teaching babies to fall asleep on their own, use a cup or spoon and use a potty is the hardest work on earth. What's harder is watching them "get it" and become independent from you. I guess all the stuff parenthood is made of it bittersweet in the end. It's so good to see you've actually done a good job, but then all you want to do is go back and swaddle them in a blankie.