Things My Kids Have Taught Me

The greatest teachers ever.

Kids fashion website AlexandAlexa.com asked me to write about Things My Kids have Taught me. What a great topic. It really got me thinking….

I had my first kid at 30. I thought I was a grown-up and that I knew quite a lot about quite a lot of things. I was wrong. Here’s what my two have taught me:
To be less of a control freak. When you want kids to zig they zag and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with it.
Apart from trying to get them to put their coats and shoes on. For some reason that really really tests my patience.
That I can survive on less sleep than I thought. My eldest didn’t sleep through until he was 18 months and I stayed sane (just). My banter was shit. But I didn’t actually keel over.
That there’s very little in life that can’t be fixed with a baby wipe.
Boys love their willies from a very young age.
To be more efficient. Surely working Mums are the most diligent employees of all time? There’s nothing like a childcare pick up to keep your mind focused.
That the washing basket always wins. Try as I might I can never get the bottom of it.
And if I do get to the bottom I am greeted by a myriad of odd socks, lurking there to taunt me.
That you’ll never grow out of fish-fingers. A culinary delight whether you are 4 or 34.
That going on a kids swing or roundabout can make you feel sick. I use to think I was rock n roll. Motion sickness in the playground is so lame.

To see the humour in everything. There are so many disastrous moments in parenting. Often they involve poo or your kids saying something mortifying in public – you’ve got to learn to laugh, otherwise you’d spend your whole time weeping!
That kids are smart. Bertie’s only 3.5 but he has already made me really stop and think. We could learn a lot from a mind that hasn’t been corrupted by expectation or society.
That once dried Weetabix is one of the most powerful glueing agents ever invented.
That my pre-baby body, which I criticised because it wasn’t tight and toned enough, was actually pretty great. Janet Jackson was spot-on when she said ‘you don’t know what you got till its gone.’
And that the female body is amazing. IT CAN GROW A HUMAN. Still blows me away.
To appreciate the small things. Whether that be a rare chance to pee on your own. Or your kid telling you ‘you look beautiful Mummy.’ Both utterly precious.
To trust my convictions. Everyone (parents, the internet, random old people on the bus) have advice on how to parent your kid. But only you truly know what that small person needs.
That no two kids are the same. My boys were utterly different beings from the outset.
But that parents genuinely don’t have favourites.
That I didn’t know how easy my life was pre-kids.
That I didn’t know how much of the good stuff I was missing.
Most of all my kid taught me what unconditional love feels like. Amazing and scary. Life-affirming and the best gift you could ever hope for.

** A reduced version of this list originally appeared here on Alex and Alexa’s Blog. **

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Things My Kids Have Taught Me

I had my first kid at 30. I thought I was a grown-up and that I knew quite a lot about quite a lot of things. I was wrong. Here’s what my two have taught me:

To be less of a control freak. When you want kids to zig they zag and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with it.

Apart from trying to get them to put their coats and shoes on. For some reason that really really tests my patience.

That I can survive on less sleep than I thought. My eldest didn’t sleep through until he was 18 months and I stayed sane (just). My banter was shit. But I didn’t actually keel over.

That there’s very little in life that can’t be fixed with a baby wipe.

Boys love their willies from a very young age.

To be more efficient. Surely working Mums are the most diligent employees of all time? There’s nothing like a childcare pick up to keep your mind focused.

That the washing basket always wins. Try as I might I can never get the bottom of it.

And if I do get to the bottom I am greeted by a myriad of odd socks, lurking there to taunt me.

That you’ll never grow out of fish-fingers. A culinary delight whether you are 4 or 34.

That going on a kids swing or roundabout can make you feel sick. I use to think I was rock n roll. Motion sickness in the playground is so lame.

To see the humour in everything. There are so many disastrous moments in parenting. Often they involve poo or your kids saying something mortifying in public – you’ve got to learn to laugh, otherwise you’d spend your whole time weeping!

That kids are smart. Bertie’s only 3.5 but he has already made me really stop and think. We could learn a lot from a mind that hasn’t been corrupted by expectation or society.

That once dried Weetabix is one of the most powerful glueing agents ever invented.

That my pre-baby body, which I criticised because it wasn’t tight and toned enough, was actually pretty great. Janet Jackson was spot-on when she said ‘you don’t know what you got till its gone.’

To appreciate the small things. Whether that be a rare chance to pee on your own. Or your kid telling you ‘you look beautiful Mummy.’ Both utterly precious.

To trust my convictions. Everyone (parents, the internet, random old people on the bus) have advice on how to parent your kid. But only you truly know what that small person needs.

That no two kids are the same. My boys were utterly different beings from the outset.

But that parents genuinely don’t have favourites.

That I didn’t know how easy my life was pre-kids.

That I didn’t know how much of the good stuff I was missing.

Most of all my kid taught me what unconditional love feels like. Amazing and scary. Life-affirming and the best gift you could ever hope for.

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Things My Kids Have Taught Me

I had my first kid at 30. I thought I was a grown-up and that I knew quite a lot about quite a lot of things. I was wrong. Here’s what my two have taught me:

To be less of a control freak. When you want kids to zig they zag and there’s nothing you can do about it. Sometimes you’ve just got to go with it.

Apart from trying to get them to put their coats and shoes on. For some reason that really really tests my patience.

That I can survive on less sleep than I thought. My eldest didn’t sleep through until he was 18 months and I stayed sane (just). My banter was shit. But I didn’t actually keel over.

That there’s very little in life that can’t be fixed with a baby wipe.

Boys love their willies from a very young age.

To be more efficient. Surely working Mums are the most diligent employees of all time? There’s nothing like a childcare pick up to keep your mind focused.

That the washing basket always wins. Try as I might I can never get the bottom of it.

And if I do get to the bottom I am greeted by a myriad of odd socks, lurking there to taunt me.

That you’ll never grow out of fish-fingers. A culinary delight whether you are 4 or 34.

That going on a kids swing or roundabout can make you feel sick. I use to think I was rock n roll. Motion sickness in the playground is so lame.

To see the humour in everything. There are so many disastrous moments in parenting. Often they involve poo or your kids saying something mortifying in public – you’ve got to learn to laugh, otherwise you’d spend your whole time weeping!

That kids are smart. Bertie’s only 3.5 but he has already made me really stop and think. We could learn a lot from a mind that hasn’t been corrupted by expectation or society.

That once dried Weetabix is one of the most powerful glueing agents ever invented.

That my pre-baby body, which I criticised because it wasn’t tight and toned enough, was actually pretty great. Janet Jackson was spot-on when she said ‘you don’t know what you got till its gone.’

To appreciate the small things. Whether that be a rare chance to pee on your own. Or your kid telling you ‘you look beautiful Mummy.’ Both utterly precious.

To trust my convictions. Everyone (parents, the internet, random old people on the bus) have advice on how to parent your kid. But only you truly know what that small person needs.

That no two kids are the same. My boys were utterly different beings from the outset.

But that parents genuinely don’t have favourites.

That I didn’t know how easy my life was pre-kids.

That I didn’t know how much of the good stuff I was missing.

Most of all my kid taught me what unconditional love feels like. Amazing and scary. Life-affirming and the best gift you could ever hope for.

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