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By Meredith Ethington

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Humor Me Motherhood Parenting

If First Time Mom Me and Current Me Met.

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I’ve changed a lot in almost 9 years of being a parent. But, if First Time Mom Me and current Me met, it might go something like this:

First Time Mom Me and Current Me

(Knock on the door.)

1 Kid Me: Um. Hi. Uuhh. Sorry to bother you, but did you know your child was playing outside by himself? In the front yard?

Present Day Me: He is? Oh, it’s fine. We do that all the time.

1 Kid Me: Oh. Well, don’t you worry that he’ll run out into the street, or get kidnapped, or something?

Present Day Me: Nah. He’s out there a lot. I’m more worried a neighbor is going to tattle on me. Wait. Are you a new neighbor?

1 Kid Me: No. I was just driving by and thought I should stop. I mean, what if a giant tree branch falls and hits him on the head? Or, a bee stings him? Or he gets a splinter? I just noticed he doesn’t have shoes on.

Present Day Me: Yeah. I tell him all the time to put his shoes on. But, you know three year olds….

1 Kid Me: ….

Present Day Me: Oh, right. Well, don’t you worry. He’ll be fine.

1 Kid Me: I could just sit with him if you want until you’re not busy with whatever it is you’re doing.

Present Day Me: Oh. Well, that’s not necessary. You see, I’m never NOT busy. So, unless you want to move in….ha ha.

1 Kid Me: …

Present Day Me: Would you like to come in, maybe take a nap on the couch. You look tired.

1 Kid Me: Yeah, I don’t sleep much….she’s teething, so I have to check on her every 2 hours.

Present Day Me: Well, come on in. I was going to let the 3yo watch some TV anyway while I worked. Yours is welcome to join him.

1 Kid Me: Oh. Well, that’s OK. She’s already had her 30 minutes of Sesame street today. That’s all I’ll allow.

Present Day Me: (Laughs hysterically) Funny! Wait. Are you kidding?

1 Kid Me: Yeah, don’t want to screw her up by watching too much TV.

Present Day Me: Right (slyly turns off TV playing some random kid show that’s been on for hours). So, I’m heating up some nuggets, but let’s be real, the 3yo will probably just have chocolate cake for dinner because the big kids will scarf down their food so fast that he won’t have even decided to take a bite of his, so I’ll cave and then he’ll probably just eat cake. But, at least he’s eating something, right?

1 Kid Me: ….

Present Day Me: (To 6yo) GET OFF THE ROOF OF THE CAR!

1 Kid Me: How many kids do you have?

Present day Me: 3. But, it feels like 30 let me tell ya. It’s a straight up zoo around here some days.

1 Kid Me: Where’s your other one?

Present Day Me: Oh. Not sure. I should probably go check. I think she’s at a neighbor’s house.

1 Kid Me: ….

Present Day Me: Okaaay, well, I have like 5 billion things to do like make a phone call, while folding laundry, while changing a diaper, while figuring out what the 3 year old might decide he wants to eat today, while writing a blog post, soooo….are we done here?

1 Kid Me: ….. Uh. yeah. Are you sure he’s OK out here by himself?

Present Day Me: Oh. I’ll bring him inside if that will make you feel better. I mean, his brother is out here too, so how bad can it get? (crying starts)

1 Kid Me: Are you going to see why he’s crying?

Present Day Me: (Listens for a few seconds) That’s not his hurt cry. I mean, totally fake, can’t you tell?

1 Kid Me: Aren’t you worried? I mean, I don’t want to be totally paranoid, but I totally am. Ya know? First time mom here. (laughs nervously)

Present Day Me: Yeah, I know honey. (Gives her a slightly longer than normal hug) It will get better. Promise. (Whispers in her ear) Go home and take a nap while you still can, OK?


22 Comments

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Comments

  1. The Imp says

    April 27, 2015 at 8:21 am

    I love this. Seriously love it.

    Of course, if my first kid me heard that there were 5 more to come, I think my first kid me would’ve entered a convent.

    And I’m not Catholic.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      April 27, 2015 at 8:28 am

      Hahah. Hilarious.

      Reply
  2. Nicole Dash says

    April 27, 2015 at 12:15 pm

    This is hysterical! I could imagine what I would say to myself. I’ve been a parent for 16 years and basically they are raising themselves at this point. Not really, but it’s amazing how much we evolve (or just surrender).

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      April 27, 2015 at 12:28 pm

      So true. Thank goodness too!!

      Reply
  3. Stacey says

    April 27, 2015 at 4:06 pm

    So true! Even in one year with baby I’ve loosened up a lot. We went 10 whole months with no TV…but she’s started waking up earlier (and still waking twice at night) so I’ve discovered the magic of Baby TV and a bouncer for a nice little nap 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      April 27, 2015 at 4:15 pm

      Nice!

      Reply
  4. Jenny @ Unremarkable Files says

    April 27, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    Hilarious! ‘Wait. Are you a new neighbor?”

    Reply
  5. Jill says

    April 27, 2015 at 8:19 pm

    So much truth here. I had a…well…I had a long break between kid #1 and kid #2. I am so much more relaxed. Love this post, Meredith!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      April 27, 2015 at 8:34 pm

      Thank you!

      Reply
  6. Sarah @ Thank You Honey says

    April 28, 2015 at 6:14 am

    Hilarious! I know exactly what I would say to myself!

    Reply
  7. Tarana says

    April 28, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    I’ve only been in this for three years, but I’ve definitely changed. Not so much because I still worry myself sick and I only have one kid, but still better than the first year!

    Reply
  8. Bryce Warden says

    April 28, 2015 at 2:57 pm

    OMG so true!. I was the nerd with a birth plan. Kept a notebook which listed times and in depth descriptions of eating, diapers and sleep I was INSANE. Naturally the first kid was colicky and had night-terrors (which is basically the exorcist on replay every flippin’ night). When my daughter came 19 months later I was so grateful she slept and wasn’t colicky I’m pretty sure I promised her a pony when she was a month old. Thanks for the laugh.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      May 3, 2015 at 7:53 am

      You’re welcome! Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  9. Lisa @ The Golden Spoons says

    April 30, 2015 at 9:23 am

    Ha! I think my conversation with my first time mom self would be very similar!!! 🙂 Love this!

    Reply
  10. Katie says

    May 2, 2015 at 10:50 pm

    Oh, I so love your blog! If you and I were neighbors, we would get along VERY well! 🙂 I too laughed at the phrase, “Wait, are you a new neighbor?” It’s too bad we all can’t just worry about our own style of parenting and stop judging eachother. When I was a kid, we were allowed to go outside and play till it was dark. Now, it’s like we’re expected to keep our kids by our side 24/7 for fear someone might think we are a bad parent. Sometimes I wish I was a parent….40 years ago!

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      May 3, 2015 at 7:52 am

      Haha! Thanks Katie! And I played outside all day too. Rode my bike uncomfortably far to friends houses and roamed the parks near my house alone. It would have been a lot easier to parent back then for sure!

      Reply
  11. Kristi Campbell says

    May 3, 2015 at 8:59 am

    LOL to “Get off the roof of the car!!!” I think I’m somewhere in between 1kid you and now you. Loved loved this and the humor and the truths behind it!

    Reply
  12. Carin Kilby Clark says

    May 3, 2015 at 8:10 pm

    This would definitely be me! I can only imagine what it would be like for the 17yo first-time mom me to meet the 35yo mom of three me… too funny!

    Reply
  13. Chris Carter says

    May 6, 2015 at 8:15 am

    HA!!! This is SO TRUE!!! I was thinking of all the things I would say… oh too funny!!

    Reply

Trackbacks

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Welcome! I’m Meredith.

Mom. Writer. Diet Coke connoisseur. Born and raised Texan. Lover of real talk and laughter with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.

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Meredith Ethington

perfectpending

Mom • Author • Mental Health Therapist In Training
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Sure, you can commiserate with a fellow parent about teenagers being the worst.

But, to be honest - they’re not the worst. They’re kind of amazing. But their problems make me tired to my core." 

Read the latest on my substack. I promise you'll relate. ❤️
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Follow me @perfectpending and better yet buy my book or subscribe to my substack to support me.
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I don’t want to try to give off this illusion that I’m control of my life any better than the next person. It’s a shitshow for all of us, and we continue to hide it for fear of what? Being human?"

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WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I MISS IT? What if I miss the best time of my life. What if it’s right this second?
What if it’s right now while I’m in finals week of grad school, and have a kid that’s sick? 
I already miss so much. The gummy smiles of babes without any teeth. The squeaky voices of 2 year olds. The babbling of a baby that’s just trying so hard to say mama. The grammar mistakes my kids make when they’re talking that I don’t have the heart to correct because I love it too much. 

I miss a lot about those younger years that have already slipped away. My youngest is sick, much like in this picture, but he is too big to snuggle in my arms now when he’s running a fever. 

Today I had the thought, what if this is it? What if this IS the happiest I’ll ever be?
For a moment, I lingered in that thought as I stood over my sink and did the dishes. I started to cry.
Am I missing it? AM I? I felt a tug that maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t relishing enough, and enjoying enough, and being present enough.
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I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of th I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of this. *sweeps arm generally at planet earth*

Look, I’ve never been a half glass full kind of gal. I can ALWAYS find the negative in every situation. 

But, right now it’s easy to say that I’m over it. It being.....

The state of our economy. Social media. People being unemployed. People being racist and homophobic. The debate over politics. People judging people. ALLLLLL of it. 

Everything is crap right now. We joke about it a lot. We have to in order to survive. 

It’s the one millionth day of January but Spring feels so far away. 

I’m over these four damn walls that we call home. 

Yeah, I know. Even as I’m typing this it all sounds like a bunch of ungrateful whiney BS. I hear it. I don’t need you to point it out, Karen. 

But, my guess is you’re reading this right now and realizing you’re over it too. Whatever “it” is in your life.

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