Before I had kids, I was basically the perfect parent. You know the type. No screens. No processed sugar. Calm, patient voice at all times. Educational wooden toys. Children who magically sleep through the night and say “please” without being prompted 47 times. Honestly, pre-kids me was insufferable. Fast forward to now and… well. Let’s just say reality had other plans. Somewhere between the third consecutive night of broken sleep and finding yogurt in places yogurt should never be, I realised something: Parenting isn’t about sticking to your ideals. It’s about survival. With snacks. And a lot of the things I swore I’d never do? Yeah… I’ve done them all. 1. “My kids will never have screen time.” Ah yes. That version of me. The one who judged parents in cafés because their toddler was watching cartoons on full volume while eating chips at 10am. Now? Now I fully understand that sometimes you just need 15 minutes where no one is asking you questions like: “Why is the sky blue?” “Can I eat this sticker?” “Do worms have feelings?” If a screen buys you a moment of peace, a sip of hot coffee, or the ability to finish a sentence… congratulations. You’ve evolved. 2. “I’ll always stay calm and patient.” In theory, yes. In practice, there is only so many times you can say “Please don’t draw on the wall” before your voice does something… unexpected. Not shouting. Let’s call it… passionate communication. And honestly? Sometimes it’s not even the big things. It’s the constant, low-level chaos. The noise. The repetition. The why is everything sticky energy. Patience becomes less of a personality trait and more of a limited resource you accidentally used up before 9am. 3. “I won’t lose myself in motherhood.” This one is sneaky. Because no one wakes up one day and thinks, “Today I will completely lose my sense of identity.” It happens gradually. You stop doing the things you enjoy because you’re tired. You put yourself last because it feels easier. You forget what you even liked doing before someone started calling you “Mum” 400 times a day. And then one day, in…
