Children challenge your sanity

Parents all go from a carefree life of only worrying about ourselves to the huge responsilbilty of being a mum or dad. 

As regular readers of my blog know I am a dad of five children and I have experienced different stages of childhood to teenagers and beyond. This is where I question my sanity!

Five times I have held my new borns in my arms and been in total awe of just how precious a child of your own is. Then it starts. The first part of your education as a parent is wiping poopy bums and feeding your baby every four hours – all day and night! Surely if you were of a rational mind you wouldnt sign up for this!

They grow up so quick and before you know it they’re teething and then the sleep deprivation kicks in. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but would any person of sound mind chose to not sleep for a full straight eight hours?!

We then quickly move on to the toddler stage and your baby has learnt to walk and talk. Yes, talking is great, but they simply don’t have any understanding of reasoning. Consequently every battle you face, you lose! 

Personality and character is now also starting to form and yes you guessed it you lose even more battles!

Just as quickly as they have grown so much that they are ready to start school they have learnt that they must have all the latest trendy items because their friends have got it and your pockets need to get deeper and deeper! I often wonder how much money I would of had if my children had not been putting their hands in my pockets constantly. I dare not to think about it for too long as I’m pretty sure I would question my sanity as a result!

This is the best bit,Just when you thought you had worked out parenting the little darlings turn into teenagers. Please! Please! Give me the strength and the will to live! Teenage hormones are a total myth, not! They are not a myth! They are worse than a meeting with the devil! Teenagers love to tell you you are wrong to disagree with everything you say and I mean everything! Black and white springs to my mind! It really doesn’t matter whether you have daughters or sons it’s a nightmare! Teenage children have the uncanny ability to make you feel like the worst parent in the world and invariably question your sanity. 

At this point in your in your children’s life you have become a personal slave to their every whim and your pockets are down to your feet to adequately supply the vast amounts of money your children will need for what is considered a good social life! What is a social life? I don’t have one!

So they leave school and go to university or find a job and I guess you think your job is done, but that’s not likely! I have listened to my daughter’s romance break-ups and given a cuddle and dared to voice an opinion which was a  big mistake! What would I know about it? Of course I have not lived at all or experienced it myself!

University is another whole new ball game. They have moved 200 miles away so I breathe a sigh of relief, I wish! I imagined I wouldn’t hear from my daughter very often and that she would be out partying and enjoying her new found freedom, but the truth is I think I speak to her more now than ever and I have driven back and fore so many times I know every bump along the way!

So if I had the ability to look into the future would I be questioning my sanity by having five children?

Not a chance! Children are the most wonderful blessing ever. They complete me as a person and they give me a purpose to my life. All the trials and tribulations that they have brought to me are greatly outweighed by the joy they bring. The love they show to you and wonderful moments of magic that only children can bring to your life. Although I am pretty sure I have questioned my sanity over the years and will most likely continue to do so!