Steph Peters 
How many times did your parents say, “You’re going to thank me when you become a parent.” I celebrated my birthday over the weekend and I turned the same age my parents were when they had me. I reminisced and then I looked at my own children and realized I need to thank my parents for things I never thanked them for before because I didn’t see it until I had my own kids. Now I really see all the TIME that goes into being a parent./ I have tried to narrow it down to the top 3 most time consuming things I am experiencing as a parent right now.
1. Changing Diapers
Thank you Mom & Dad for changing my diapers every day, countless times a day, for several years. Thank you for putting up with the smell. Extra props for using CLOTH diapers!
2. Feeding Me
Thank you Mom & Dad for feeding me. From making bottles, cleaning bottles, to grocery shopping with a child, making the meals, making sure I ate enough healthy food, cleaning the dishes, and everything that went into actually feeding me several times a day for every day for 18 years.
3. Disciplining Me
Thank you Mom & Dad for all the time, effort, and patience you had while disciplining me. Changing diapers and feeding kids takes time, but this is the one that really takes strategy. Try not to say “no” to your child, use positive reinforcement, use a time-out rule depending on their age, try to divert their attention to something else…there are so many tips and I have tried them all now that my son is in the “terrible twos.” Talk about time consuming and a big headache! “No throwing inside the house” oh wait I shouldn’t say No, so I try to show him something else to play with while taking the ball away and during that time he has already run over to his sister and pushed her down “No pushing your sister!” oh crap I said No again…I have realized that disciplining your child takes so much time and patience.
And that’s just the beginning! I still have potty training, the school years, and the teenage years ahead of me. Needless to say, many more thank you notes to my parents will be happening in the future.
