AIBU to ask you all the lovely things about having kids are?

[Katlow]

So, me and my husband are TTC.
Very scared, very excited.
I'm posting here for traffic really, I just want to hear some of the good parts of parenting. I've been reading a lot of negative things today and it's scaring me a little bit!

DS (6) keeps coming up to me, putting his arms round me and saying ‘stealth cuddle!’.

The over whelming love

My current favourite - my dd is three. She has taken to saying 'I love you Mummy, and you'll be my Mummy forever and ever and I'll be your xxx forever'

It's so cute..... That and snuggles, little hands and arms wrapped round you, little head on your shoulder.
Aaahhhhh

aww, this is all so lovely! Mine are now 23 and nearly 21, and my god they are the people I would choose to spend time with over every single other person in the world! They are funny, kind, hard working, loving, and they are my best people. (That is not to say that the baby/toddler years were easy for us, DD1 was the devil incarnate, but if I do say so myself, she turned out alright)

They keep you feeling young and 'in the know', I have to listen to radio 1 in the car where 11yr old updates me on the likes of Billy Eilish, Stormzy, Aitch. She shows me all the goings on of her friends on social media, how they use technology, it's very entertaining! Just how they evolve into their own personalities, it's so interesting.

The hugs, the smiles, when they giggle for the first time ♥️ absolutely all of it

DS is only 6 months so I’m new to the game but when he sees me coming to pick him up he has a big rosy cheeked dribbly smile and giggle... oh my it’s love explosions like I could never have imagined.
I am Mummy and he knows I love him more than my own life. It’s the best feeling in the world.

I fell over bad my DS7 was beside himself. Really crying I was trying to shake it off he was gutted sat with me all evening holding my hand watched my TV. He said I don't know what I would do without my best mum 😢

This is such a sweet thread, I really enjoyed reading it as I’ve had a really tough few days with my 5 month old.

Also, I don’t know why - possibly the sleep deprivation - but this made me cry! So adorable!

The first Christmas card they bring home from school, clutched so hard in their excited little hands that it's all creased.

A long way down the track but I am just on my home after a lovely few hours with 16yo DD. We mooched around the shops, had lunch and she shared all the "gos" about her friends. We talked about the family holiday we are planning this year, she showed me the latest tik tok video she had made with a friend and generally had a laugh. Parenting is fun, good luck with your journey x

My ds is an endless source of humour and fun. He loves me unconditionally, doesn’t judge, challenges me every day.
Life is so much more interesting with him around.
He is also exhausting and on occasion a source of gut wrenching worry. But the good bits outweigh the bad about 1000:1

When they can walk and their little hand holds yours - nothing is better than this.

Their absolute trust in you and delight in you.

Being able to make things better for the person you love most in the world.

All the little moments - making their breakfast, reading to them at night. I always put a drop of lavender in their baths to help relax them before bedtime.

As they grow older, their intellectual enthusiasm for everything. And seeing them wanting to give back.

The little hand that slips into yours as you walk along, just because they want to hold hands, aahhhhh! It's magic.

And then when I'm sitting on the sofa and my big, lanky, terribly independent 9 year old comes and sits next to me, then half leans on me, and then is on my lap, all while we watch telly, all without a word. The hugs are lovely and I hope he does it forever!

There are so many good bits, and even some of the shittier times are quite funny. Sometimes in the the moment, sometimes in retrospect. Mine are aging out of 'cute' and into 'elbows everywhere' and I still find them adorable, gorgeous, and extremely snuggly. It's really, really great.

I’m only in the early stages with a 3 month old but now his smiles when he is looking at me or when he try’s to talk bring a tear to my eye
Also he searches for my finger to hold it while he is breastfeeding.
He is a little piece of me and I could never imagined him to be so incredibly perfect.. There is no love like it

Hugs, funny comments, and how angelic they look when they're asleep. I also love how soft and squishy they are and how wondrous it is that their little fingers are so much smaller than mine.

It's very boosting for the ego being someones absolute favourite person for the first few years. They love seeing aunties/cousins/grandparents but as soon as mummy is in the room DS will run to me.

They fit in your arms the way no other child would. I hold my nieces and nephews and it's like holding a bag of flour (do love them too!) but DS knows where to put his legs and hands so it suits us both.

Agree with pp that you know their cry. DS is 3 and rarely cries now but was with daddy at the other side of a crowded supermarket and lost his toy under a shelf. I knew straight away it was him and that familiarity is very comforting.

I have an eleven year old in last year of primary school. He will take my arm crossing the road and we have great chats about everything! There can be tricky phases e.g. Toddler good but overall good points shine through. I think it is more circumstances make things difficult rather than children themselves e.g lack of support, juggling work, demands of school etc

I love this thread! I really needed this today

My DC is only 4.5m so I'm also pretty early to the game and things haven't been smooth sailing at all but there are millions of things that make it worthwhile. I love the way he beams when I go to pick him from his cot or look a over at him when he's trying to get my attention makes my heart soar

Also the way he always holds my finger when he's feeding or I'm carrying him in the sling.. eughhhh it's adorable, the whole thing

When my 14 year old comes and sits on my lap. He's 6 foot 3 and has legs longer than the English Channel, but every so often he'll throw himself across me and tell me about his day like Buddy the Elf sitting on Papa Elf's lap. It's not the little-boy-with-mummy relationship we had when he was younger, it's more of a mutual friendship (though I'll happily pull rank on occasion) where he's a person independent of me - he has so many opinions and beliefs and thoughts of his own. But he is funny, bright and so kind hearted that I could burst.

Watching your child and seeing the 'almost' is gorgeous, too. It's an odd thing to see who they're turning into, but the 14 year old has reached a point where you can see who he almost is, and that's something I didn't expect at all.

When they hold your hand.
When they write you letters.
When they show bravery in the face of their fears.
When they do something kind or sweet.
When they fall asleep on you.
When you realise you know their smell - even at 14 and 9 years old I could pick the DC out of a blindfolded lineup by sniffing the tops of their heads.
When they're babies and they do that thing where they hold your face in their hands and just stare at you because you're 'their' person.

The first smile. Dd looked me in the eye at 3 weeks old and gave a funny crooked little smile. I felt as though I'd fallen down the rabbit hole.

Christmas is BRILLIANT

I get told I'm loved a 100 times a day

Naked toddlers just doing their thing are beautiful

Funny punky, pouffy, tufty baby hair

Fat kicky little baby legs with the softest most beautiful little feet and toes

Teeny tiny jeans

Pushchairs are great for carrying bags of shopping and coats

They give you so much strength. You go from being a single entity to this lioness that will do anything to protect your precious cub. The moment they're born is like the everything just changes but in the best way, seeing this whole being that you created, how they think, their personalities, mannerisms, everything is just amazing. It brings a whole new meaning to life and teaches a selflessness like no other. Good luck! It is amazing!

The first time you see her heart beating on screen, like a flashing light. A very special warmth went through me. When I pick her up from nursery and she first sees me and I get a HUGE smile. When she does something quirky, but logical from her point of view, as it can be soooo funny. When she calls me MAMA. When I pick her up and cuddle her little body against me. She is beautiful.

Hugs
Things the older DC says .
Younger DC non verbal with autism comes over and stretches his arms towards me for a hug. Kiss maybe twice a year and a deep gaze into my eyes( not a lot of eye contact everyday).
Did I mention hugs?

I forgot - the times when you suddenly realise they also want to take care of you. At primary school, my DC did 'Beauty Parlour' where they would rub cream into my face and hands and feet (and eyes and hair but hey ). It was so sweet.
Last year each of my teens surprised me. One just said, 'Are you busy this afternoon mum?' I said no. He said, 'Good because I'm taking you out for afternoon tea in London' and the other, after I'd taken him to amatinee of a show he;d wanted to see for ages, stopped me as we were heading for the train, and said, 'I've researched an amazing new restaurant and I want to take you there for dinner right now.' Sudden acts like that make up for years of picking smelly socks off the floor and being grunted at when you hoped for a conversation.

The smiles first thing in the morning when they first see you melts me every time.
Dc is 9 months and it’s just the best! His giggles, the way he plays with my bracelet when he’s having a bottle and a bit sleepy, when he’s learnt a new skill and he just looks so proud of himself-I just adore everything about him. Apart from his sleep skills, they are terrible