International Children’s Day! What do mums and dads have to say?

In celebration of Universal Children’s Day I asked my friends who are incredible young parents to share with us a flavor of life with their children who are aged 2 and a half and 8 months. Enjoy these heart-warming insights and glimpses of childhood life that has been shared with us all!

Mum:
Life with children is a rollercoaster ride; full of ups and downs, joys, frustrations and surprises. There is never a dull moment. In fact there is rarely a moment to yourself. Perhaps it is this obligatory selflessness that gives rise to a seemingly endless capacity of love for your children, no matter how much they drive you up the wall. Parenting truly takes your heart (and your patience) into unchartered territories.

Dad:
With parenting comes that funny paradox – life becomes richer, whilst making you an awful lot poorer. Things are put in perspective and priorities change. All of a sudden you start working to live instead of living to work.

Mum:
As a mother, who is with her children, all day every day, I can sometimes lose sight of what is really important. It is easy to get wrapped up in trivial, unimportant things. I forget to marvel; I forget to look at my toddler and baby and remind myself ‘the world is a better place because you exist’. Instead I’m obsessing over my toddler not eating lunch, or my baby not getting enough sleep. And yet their joy and innocence and beauty is unparalleled to anything else in my life. When I think of those times my toddler spontaneously tells me he loves me? or makes my baby giggle with delight? Nothing compares. His numerous tantrums (almost) fade from memory.

Dad:
The simple pleasures in life become more pleasurable with children. Let’s talk about dancing.
Dancing with mates on a night out doesn’t even touch the delight you get from dancing with your children on a Saturday morning. For one, you can just enjoy being a terrible dancer, without fear of losing friends over it – but also your children think you are the best dancer ever! Win, win.

Whether you are religious or not, it’s hard to argue with the idea that children truly are a gift. It is surely the joy that children bring, that makes the world go round.