Parents. The sacrifices they do for us. The miles and the mountains they cross for us.
They formed us as people and prepared us for life.
We often forget how they completely change their own lives to adapt to our needs and necessities. They don’t sacrifice their youth, but so much more:
1. They sacrifice their sleep.
Especially in early parenthood. Sleepless nights are a norm when you are having a baby or a small child. You either sleep for two hours and you take turns with your partner, or you end up sleeping on your way to work because you didn’t have the chance to sleep at home.
Sleeping on the couch or on a chair next to the cradle is a common thing along with the throbbing neck pain caused by an irregular sleeping posture. What a bonus, right?
2. They sacrifice their privacy.
You cannot go to the bathroom without having your child coming there only seconds after. It continues knocking on the door and you are left with nothing else but to open the door or they’ll start crying.
Conversations on the phone are no longer a careless activity. You have to choose your words wisely, or else everything you say or do will be used against you; it will be told to the wrong person and at the worst possible moment.
3. They sacrifice their time.
After becoming parents, people rarely go out to have drinks or have dinner at a restaurant. They opt for fast food on their way home and when they go shopping, they usually go to buy stuff for their kids.
Football games, beer nights with friends, getting your nails done become a thing of the past. Parents don’t spend money on themselves anymore because providing all the best comforts for their children seems much more logical.
4. They send career opportunities down the drain.
After having kids, parents will accept jobs near their home or with flexible working hours just so they can have enough time to make lunch for the entire family, make their child’s favorite cookies, and assist them with homework.
Your career plans and preferences matter to you, but not as much as the person who makes your life meaningful.
5. They sacrifice friends.
Do you remember your childhood friends? Your coworkers? The people you shared your life with and the people you had crazy adventures with? You used to see each other every day, but after becoming a parent, you are lucky if you can get your friends on the phone and talk with them at least for a few minutes while the kids are having brunch.
You want to see your friends, you do, but you constantly reschedule because hey, kids come first. Thank god for social media, right?
6. They sacrifice having a fixed schedule.
More often than not, our messy, kids-oriented schedules cost us a promotion or a better-paying job. Also, say, you had a job interview or a dentist’s appointment and you are on your way, but your child gets a stomach bug or hurts their knee, so you immediately cancel everything because you know your priorities.
While all that is great, employers or even other people may get the impression that you are unreliable because of your having children. Sometimes you throw a lot of exceptional opportunities out the window because you cannot fully commit to them knowing you have kids waiting at home.
7. They sacrifice their own wants and needs.
What if you have a sugar craving, but it’s the last piece of cake? No problem, you won’t eat it because you know your child would want it when they get home from school.
So, you end up satisfying that sugar craving with some sugar in your coffee because eating that last piece would mean having to prepare something else and you are just so tired from work.
Being a parent is not an easy deal to handle, but it’s the one that changes your life for the better and gives you a purpose; someone to fight for.
Children shed light on their parents’ life and make it brighter and brighter every day just by existing in this world. Just by uttering the mere words: mum, dad.
So, here’s to our parents, may we become at least half the wonderful parents they were to us!
