I can’t believe we have a 1 year old…it’s surreal even while typing this.  We have a vibrant, increasingly independent, giggling, sprinting, climbing, toddler on our hands.  He’s grown so much…and so have we as parents.  Here are some of my year one lessons!

• Ask for help.  I’m still working on this.  It takes a village…no, really, it does.  I’ve learned how to depend on family and friends.  I CAN do it all…but I would be exhausted, cranky, and just unpleasant.  Who wants that?!
• Prioritize.  I’m not going to get it all done today…or even this week.  I’ve learned to be okay with this.  I keep reminding myself that I’m keeping a human alive and well.  That’s the priority!
• Embrace the change.  This year was full of change.  The biggest changes were his sleep patterns.  When we finally hit 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep, I couldn’t sleep wondering when he would wake up.  And when I finally settled into longer sleep stretches, we would hit a regression.  He still throws us a wrench here and there these days (and nights)…just to keep us on our toes.  Routines will change, skills will grow, spurts will occur…there will be regression.  I’ve learned to embrace it all.
• Be kind to myself. Mom guilt is REAL! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve unnecessarily beat myself up over being a working mom.  I’ve literally cried on the way to work because I felt like I wasn’t present enough during the week.  I’ve also made some decisions complicated that really could have been simple, put way too much pressure on myself to get it all done (refer back to prioritizing), and felt I had to carry all of it myself (refer back to asking for help).  Being kind to myself has brought back some much needed self care.  I’m a better person, mom, and partner because I’ve cut the self-imposed pressure.

What are lessons that you’ve learned from parenting so far?