Hello, I have singleton envy.
We went to Austin last weekend to see some friends who recently had a baby. He is your average baby; he cries some, spits up some, and does all of the normal baby stuff. He sleeps some (of course it is never enough for a new parent) and life at their house seems pretty normal – albeit slow. I left there thinking how easy one baby would have been instead of the two we have. Now, don’t get me wrong – I LOVE MY BOYS. Let me say it again – I LOVE MY BOYS – and I don’t wish there was only one of them, but I was a bit jealous at how easy it seemed to have only one. And then a little light went on and I became less stupid. It occurred to me that no matter how many children you have, it is still the hardest thing you have ever done. And I gave them their props and quit with the high and mighty attitude that I was copping. And you know, it is true. No matter if you have 1, 3, or 5 children – raising them is the hardest thing you will do. It is hard to get up at night. It is hard to hear them cry and not know how to make it better. It is hard to think about someone other than yourself 24x7. It is just hard. After thinking about this I felt a little embarrassed at my secret laughter when I heard that they were having trouble getting him to sleep…because lets keep it real here – interrupted sleep sucks. If it is one baby or 2 – it sucks. And anyone that is raising any children deserve credit for the long nights and heartbreaking days that it entails.
Kudos to all of you parents out there – and please accept my apology for making fun of those of you with singletons.
