I remember back when we were expecting Ace. Everyone kept telling us how much it would change our life, but all they told us was, “Diapers and formula are expensive!”…or, “You’ll be getting up every couple of hours every night to a crying kid!”.
So I’m going to let out the secrets…what are some of the things that change…that no one tells you about. 😀
1. You venture into areas of your TV volume meter that have never been explored…(No I do not watch the fashion show shown on the TV…that was all Momma’s doing.) 😀
- TV Volume Before Kids
- TV Volume After Kids
2. You must now share cabinet space with brightly colored sippy cups. Be glad you did not install those fancy clear cabinet doors…because I guarantee the neon rainbow does not go with most kitchen decors. 😀
- Sippy Cups Share A Cabinet
3. Other cabinets are completely taken over… What used to be there? Hell, I forget (loss of memory is another thing they don’t tell you about) 😀
- Hijacked Cabinet – Baby Stuff
- Hijacked Cabinet – Baby Food
4. You find it financially necessary to buy a digital camera. I have taken over 2000 pictures in the past 19 months. You know how much it would have cost to develop 2000 pictures? Most of them blurry, off center, or otherwise not visually pleasing…
- Digital Camera Needed
5. Your computer wallpaper can no longer be some cool scenery or your favorite sports team. It is, of course, a picture (or even slide show) of your kid…
- Ace Wallpaper
6. Hearing a kid crying is no longer like nails on a chalkboard. It still bothers you, but you are extremely desensitized compared to it’s pre-kid effects…
- Ace Crying
7. Other people’s kids crying doesn’t bother you like it did before you had kids either. It has other effects on you, like…chuckling quietly because you know exactly what the crying kid’s parent is going through and you are just glad it is not you this time…but you know your turn is coming. 😀
8. No longer does your back yard look like a golf course green. Now it looks like the playground at the park…
- Golf Course Green Backyard
9. Your refrigerator will now be a major source of entertainment for your little one. A little side effect? Coming down in the middle of the night to get a drink and busting your ass on refrigerator magnets that have been left lying on the floor. ;D
- Refrigerator Magnets
10. It is not only recommended, but often necessary to change your disgusting habits. Those little people are like copy-catting sponges… 😀
- Kids Picking Their Noses
But even though you have to deal with the noise, the cabinet rearrangements, the wallpaper hijacking, the buying of a digital camera, the crying, the loss of your beautiful backyard, the refrigerator decorations, and the nose picking…it is all worth it…because of moments like this…
- Why It Is All Worth It
Awesome post Jared, it is all so true! My children arent babies anymore, and I can tell you it gets worse! I am sitting here in my study looking around at every spare piece of space covered in children’s pictures, the floor is covered by the left over creating mess from todays artwork, the TV is almost always set to Nickelodean or Cartoon Network, the washing line’s main purpose is as a cubby house, and I have a mobile phone so that my 10 year old can ring to tell me he isn’t coming home for dinner!
(Have posted the link to my Photoblog .. I have nothing better to do than create new websites!)
Agree, it’s all true!
If I may add the following too:
– forever finding leftovers on the floor
– you have bright-coloured furniture of knee height
– forever catching up on sleep and little time left for anything else like hobbies or workouts
– you stump your toe on these furniture and you struggle to find the appropriate swear word that by the time you do you forgot why you needed to swear in the first place
– your browser bookmarks are now still on human subjects but the topics are a lot different and the subjects are at least 20 years younger
– the wife has 1000 more new things to tell you to do
– and you will always lose when she uses the “.. the whole 9 months of this…” argument on you
– that you actually prefer to sleep than to do that other thing in bed..
What scares me now is I still get comments from parents who have older kids telling the worst is yet to come!
Heck, not only are you desensitized to other kids cries, but your super duper daddy hearing can now pick out your kids crying in a sea of kids crying.
Ha, I was thinking this same exact thing the other day. I was cleaning out my car and realized how much it has changed after having Jayden. The stroller in the trunk, the extra diapers hogging up the glove compartment, pacifiers hiding in every little crevice, the back seat covered in baby toys. Madness I tell you!
Great article! Thanks for filling me in on the real scoop as I prepare for my first child.
That stuff isn’t in many books!
What a great list, I can relate to all of those. Man, I stepped on a refrigerator magnet last night (from Fridge Farm) and about busted my arse. Digital cameras are the best for having kids. We went to the park today and came home with about 200 pictures (rapid fire). There are probably ten decent ones in the bunch.
I wanna rename this post as “Better Wattcha Out” 😉
Heck! now I don’t have regrets of not having one…….ha ha Just kidding….I am surely missing on this fun in life 🙁
What a great TRUE post.. hahaha.. and for this Mama it went from cute shoes with each outfit to sneakers or loafers to run after the kiddies.. lol
Agree, agree, agree, agree…..
I think you have sufficiently covered the bases here!
Great post. Its great when you have picture to prove your points. It just gives the non believers proof.
BTW Madison was born at 413am on 10/19/08, so my roller coaster has just started.
DaddyKV
i loved the pic -Sippy Cups Share A Cabinet.
My cabinets are even worse off then the pic you posted. I now feel as if i need to re-organize my cabinets!
Where is the Pic of “what used to be your bathroom but has become the kids instead”
Warren
Great post on things that are so true. Just so you know as they get older (like mine) they continue to take over more of your living space. I have lost most of my closet space (did I tell you they were teenage girls) to dresses and shoes. I get to keep tshirts and two pairs of jeans…
Love the post Jared!! Sooo cute…love you and miss you guys!
[…] Thankfully, not everyone is like that. I suggest you head on over to DadThing.com, a blog written by a dad, Jared, about life as a dad to his son, Ace. Check out his post: How Kids Change Your Life… or 10 Things No One Tells You About. […]
Type your comment herYou have a great blog. i found you some how when i was looking for things on our sons birth defect esophageal atresia. I iwish you all the best.e.
I think you need to add 1more thing in this list………
11. No time for blogging
😀 Wherez u these days? Long time no post?
Great blog. I’m in the midst of all these very true things happening..
And yes those moments totally make it worth it!
I love your posts! There is nothing in my life that I love more than being a father . . . . your posts are humerous, yet true, and I can tell that you too love being a father!