What skills have you learnt since becoming a parent?

[MiaWallace]

What has the role taught you?

Not so much taught me as given me an incredible strong right arm

How to simultaneously manage the feeling and needs of five people, all at very different stages of development, such that we live contentedly together and all move forward at our own pace.

Juggling, patience and bloody-minded determination.

Not so much becoming a parent but meeting Psychomum has taught me to feed dinner to about 15 children I think only one was mine at that stage (am now trying to remember why I was doing it - I remember whose the other children were, but not why Psycho wasn't the one cooking... she may have been ill)

how to pick up dropped objects with toes/send text messages whilst simultaneously feeding small baby

How to change a nappy with one hand

x posts marmaduke!

to maintain 3 or 4 simultaneous conversations

The art of distraction.

Before I had children, I found it difficult to unlock a car door whilst holding a toddler between my knees but now I can do this with ease.

To tread lightly as you never know what is underfoot [ouch]! Actually I learned that doing kung fu, but it has served me in good stead as a mother

Excellent skills ladies.

How to nap at any time you might have 5 mins spare!

Coping without a lot of sleep
To multi-task more if thats possible
Mutter under breathe

Tolerance, patience, a scary look, a 'that is enough' voice that gets obeyed, to retain my sense of humour in the face of severe provocation, debating and critical thinking skills, negotiating skills, how to keep a straight face at appropriate moments, to hide my chocolate, not to stress over the small stuff, to pick my battles, to laugh and to love.

How to organise a school fair!

Patience.
How to cope with boredom.
Multi-tasking.
tolerance.

Multi-tasking and organisation

how to shampoo a carpet!

How to do a SAS impression of getting down the stairs avoiding the stair that creaks and climbing over two stair gates as to not wake up DC

How to teach someone to ride a bike
how to ignore annoying behaviour

The knowledge that you are definitely not perfect.
Guilt.
Utter happiness. Utter wretchedness.
The sheer luxury of having 5 minutes to yourself.
The quickest way of getting 3 under 5's ready for the schoolrun.
The fact that letting the rice on the floor dry out before sweeping it up stops it from sticking to the brush.

How to tolerate noise.

Traffic noises, car alarms, drunks walking back from the pub - all nowhere near as irritating to me now that I'm used to my children whinging endlessly.

Also have much improved reflexes to catch cups falling off tables (not to mention improved peripheral vision).