What ways has being a parent changes your perspective on the world?

[OneUmberJoker]

Make a better world

How much free time people without kids have

Sorry, it’s true!

I honestly feel parents and non-parents occupy the same planet but have completely different existences. It’s not a value judgement either.

Agree with the free time comment. Why did I ever think I was busy?!

Before I had kids I thought I could understand how someone could reach the point of being so frustrated and worn down that they could shake a baby. Now I've had my kids I truly don't understand how they could reach that point with someone so helpless and vulnerable.

Not just time

Where did all my money go before I had kids

I must of wasted a lot of it as I have the same amount (with inflation) and seems to spend a lot on my kids

Being much more aware of what we eat and where we live.

Since I've had ds I've moved to cooking everything from scratch, even making my own bread, and living somewhere the air is clean and there are very few vehicle fumes. Reducing use of plastics. Recycling a lot and wasting very little (financial necessity more than anything else).

And doing a lot more exercise to maintain my health. With ds, being healthy feels more important.

One of my colleagues (non parent, no disability, no caring duties etc) dropped from 5 days to 4 ‘because I have hardly any time to do the things I want to do’. I had to keep a straight face while she was saying it.

Honestly knowing every waking second outside of work used to be my own seems so ridiculous now you may as well tell me I was a Queen in a past life. Both seem like absolute fantasies.

Definitely the time, oh how much time I had.

I’ve become more right wing on law and order

I’ve become more of a feminist since I had my DD

I've become more aware, but also more aware that actually what's the fucking point because they only eat peanut butter on toast anyway. It's been a humbling journey.

I've become a lot kinder, a lot less judgemental and more fiercely protective of the things I believe in.

Another one here wondering how I had so much free time!

I feel like if I had so much free time again, I'd be publishing the next bestseller, painting a lanscape, discovering a new species...who knows! In reality though, when I did have the time, I just wasted it watching rubbish on Netflix.

horrified at how often children die / are abused etc there's several stories daily, just constantly in the news and it makes me sick to my soul, ive had to stop watching or reading the news.

also how much money i must have just thrown away on a daily basis prior to having kids.

I have so much more empathy and respect for women