It's okay to cry...Kids are a joy but they can also be hardwork

As much as I hate to admit, even I have bad moments. I dream of a perfect child that never answers back, that doesn't go on and on and on about why he/she can't have something, obedient, yada yada and all things sweet and dandy.The truth is, kids will test your patience time in time out. That is the part of growing up and some kids are worse going through their 'terrible 2's' (why would anyone name it that? It's terrible 1-2-3-4-5-6-7......) They come and go in phases and each time a new mischievous bright idea pops up and they test your patience. For those out there thinking why do I'm using such horrible words to describe children is because, to me the term worse depends on your level of tolerance. For you some kid may seem barbaric but for their parents it's everyday life and they have to deal with them differently. I admire the kind of patience they have for I'm a fire breathing dragon when it comes to badly behave kids.

My two girls

I admit I do get soft with my own child and putting discipline at home is toughest especially when you're a working mum and time is against you (for eg. you're preparing your child and you would normally have 30 mins before you have to leave for work to be in time for a meeting, you kid throws a tantrum and decides they aren't going to daycare or school today so they go mess up, soil themselves, come up with any excuse they can find to avoid it) then you have a tendency to give in. I make no excuses for my child if I'm late I warn in advance that if someone needs me to be in before 9 there is a 50% chance I won't be able to make it, I simply have to put discipline first. So I try to set my meetings as late as possible to give myself ample time to get to the office just so I don't have to face grime looks (I still get them even if they were warned) explaining to everyone how horrible kids can be sometimes.

Then comes questions, what if you don't have a flexible work schedule, you simply have to be there and say open up the store, drive a forklift, be there for a performance, set up your restaurant or many things that have strict opening times. Yes, now this is one thing I have thought about myself, what if scenarios like this were to be part of my life, how do I tackle with this? I honestly don't know. I would probably break down. I can't take credit for raising my daughter, without help from my dear hubby I wouldn't be able to go on work trips let alone do longer days. It's still compromise from both ends but it makes juggling with work and childcare a bit more bearable.

All I can say is being a parent is anyway a tough job, I'm used to a flexible lifestyle but with a child there is no room for flexibility in my lifestyle anymore...So I lose the me time altogether. Lunch breaks and coffee breaks are me times these days that I take myself out of the wheel and try to reclaim some sanity. If someone asked me would I do it all over again if I had a glimpse of my future? The answer is yes! Would I like to have another child? The answer is also yes! What about a third? Well, I've always thought I'd be a mother of 5 or more, but I have too much to juggle with 1 as it is and having the second child would definitely fill up all my free times that I'm going to put a stop at 2. So as I said...if you feel the need to cry, just let it out. You've done a good job and kids don't know how to appreciate it at a young age. I feel rewarded anyways at the end of the day because I made it through yet another rat race! :)