Oh the Irony of Parenthood

First off, I'd like to give kudos to Laura and my hubby for helping me come up with some of the ideas for this post.

You know...parenthood is such an ironic thing. This thought really struck home with me today while Micah was eating his supper. So, let me share some of the reasons why I think parenthood is so ironic.

1. When we first have our little bundles of joy, we want nothing more than for them to sleep through the night. We shout to the rooftops when it actually happens. But -- what happens next? Well, the guilt (mommy's instinct probably) kicks in, and what do we find ourselves doing? We go in to make sure they are still breathing. And -- I'll admit it...I still do this with my five-year-old.
2. When our bundles get a little bit bigger they start cooing and making all sorts of sounds. We want nothing more than for them to be able to talk and tell us what they need, want, etc. But -- what do we do when they actually start talking? We ask them to be quiet. Why? Because they talk non-stop. But we got what we wanted, right?!!?
3. Our bundles are still growing up, and soon they are walking. Better yet, most of them start off running. Then, what do we do? We tell them to slow down and be careful.
4. We wait so patiently for the day when they can start feeding themselves. We cut up their food into little bite-size pieces, and we let them go at it. But -- what do we do? We end up feeding it to them because a) they're making too much of a mess or b) they're taking too long.
5. Oh, let's move on to potty training. We can't wait for our little kids to get out of diapers and be able to listen to their bodies. But -- what happens? We end up having to wipe their bottoms (or even better...we check to make sure it's clean). LOL! Hey, I've got a five-year-old, and he still calls for me sometimes when he needs a butt-wipin'.
6. Now our children are able to dress themselves. They are able to button those buttons and snap those snaps. But -- when they come out to show off their new skills...you know what happens. They're usually in a "it's tacky day at school" outfit, so what do we do? We dress them ourselves.
7. We always talk about how we'd love for our little ones to just grow up. But -- you know...we can't stop the clock. And as they grow and grow and grow...well, we only want them to be babies again. We'd love to just make time stand still or go back in time.
8. It's important for our little ones to learn about life. We want them to learn right from wrong. It's our job to teach them the consequences of their actions. But -- first, we dress them up in bubble wrap. So, how can they learn?
9. When we first have little babies, we are so protective of them. We want to keep everything cleaned and we fear germs. But -- let them get a little bit older, and then what do we do? We let them go straight for the dog food or eat the cheerio off the floor.
10. And last but not least -- we give them the toy store. I mean, come on...they get so many toys it's not even funny. Yet -- when they actually play with those toys and don't clean up...well, you know what happens!?!?

So, do you see? Parenting is so ironic. It just amazes me. Anyway, I hope you found this as interesting as I did. And -- why don't you share something you think is ironic about parenthood? I'd love to see what others think.