Quite often, or rather I should say anytime someone finds out about the fact that I have a li'l one at home, all 3 or one of these 3 questions are almost always asked: (1) Is it hard? (2) Does he sleep through the night (3) Do you work? - More often than not, these questions are out of curiosity rather than concern and if they come from individuals with no children, it's almost always to ensure that the decision to wait or to not have children is the 'right' decision.
To answer the 3 questions first, yes, it's hard - it's probably the TOUGHEST 'job' I've had til' date. Yet at the same time, it has been the most satisfying and rewarding 'job'. I say 'job' because it is now considered a 'job' to raise children - it's not something that comes naturally anymore - there's planning, rescheduling, etc. that takes place in order to fit this little soul into the modern life style. It's not tough in lifting boxes sort of way, but it's tough because no 2 days are the same anymore - even if you have a couple of hours to yourself while the little one naps, most mothers would rather stare at their little bundle of joy for those 2 hours rather than devoting that time to themselves. It's never about YOU anymore - it's all about making your LO happy. If you're out shopping, it's the baby's department that naturally comes to your mind first. The baby requires your constant love and attention, come what may. You maybe sick as a dog but when that baby is hungry, your rest and medication can take the backseat. It's tough not because the baby's making it tough, but because you want to give him your last ounce of energy :)
Does he sleep through the night? This is also a tough one to answer. Just like us adults, babies too have their good days and their bad days. First three months of a baby's life are considered 4th trimester of pregnancy because technically, a baby's not yet ready to face the world/come out at nine months. Babies don't know the difference between day and night neither do they know that food doesn't come automatically through the cord anymore - they need to make an effort to breathe and to eat - It is a lot of work for tiny little soul so to answer this question, NO, for at least first 6 weeks, no baby will ever sleep through the night - once they start getting an idea, they will start creating their own routine and schedule and will eventually sleep through the night - even then, they will wake up once in a while because of a bad dream or diaper change or because they're hungry all of a sudden, just as humans wake up sometimes in the middle of the night for a potty break or a nightmare or for a midnight snack.
Do you work? I almost always cringe when I am asked this question because the society has created such a 'norm' for us humans to have a career and to work. If you don't work because of layoff, economy, etc., you automatically get sympathetic looks and If you don't by choice, you're automatically considered lazy, or living the luxurious life or not educated enough. Anytime I am asked this question, I'm propelled to answer with an explanation as to why I don't work and that I used to work.
Another question that I'm asked often is my routine as a SAHM. "How do you pass the time?" or "Don't you get bored?" or "Isn't it overwhelming?" or my personal favorite, well, "Do you still have hobby?"
As mentioned earlier, no 2 days are ever the same for me or if I may, for any SAHM. The reason we chose to stay at home is to take care of the little one that we brought into this world rather than paying someone else to do it. Passing the time, if I had any free time, this question would definitely make me wonder too. First few months, there's absolutely no free time to 'pass' because if the LO is not pooping then he's feeding, if not feeding then crying, if not crying then I'm pretty sure doing something to hold your attention long enough until he poops again.
Do I get bored? of course I do. Then I also got bored of working and remember the days when I used to wait until 5 pm to run out the door because I was SO BORED at work; the only difference now is, if I do get bored, I can always look at my LO and the boredom vanishes :).
Is it overwhelming? HELL YA!! Try caring for a baby for a day and you'll get your answer. Is it overwhelming all day everyday? absolutely not but yes, there're moments/days when you just want to step out and scream your lungs out :)
Do I still have a hobby? LOL - My personal favorite and no matter how many times I hear it, I always get caught off guard. Yes, I still have not A hobby but hobbies. Having a baby does not make me an animal that only needs to eat and feed the baby, this blog was created because writing is a hobby for me. I still read whenever I can, even it's one page, few lines or back of shampoo bottles. Hubby and I still go out with friends and have a fun time, in fact, I think we make more efforts to go out and socialize now than we ever have, or I should say, I ever have. I still cook which I enjoy, I still go out for walks but with my little one now.
I would obviously love to do a lot more in life as I'm sure any individual would regardless of the fact that they're a parent or not, but it's me who's holding myself back and not the fact that I have a baby :)
