I won't do this when I'm a mom...or so I thought! Happy Mother's Day!

What I said before I became a parent over 2 years ago...

1. I will never use a sound machine because babies need to get used to all noises and surroundings. I don't want them to become dependent on a white noise machine or they won't fall asleep without it.

2. I will not use a swing to put my baby to sleep. They should e able to adjust to sleeping on their back, so we can put them down when we are visiting family or friends. We don't want to bring a swing with us everywhere.

3. I won't be one of those parents who posts a million photos of their child on social media and floods the newsfeeds. Those parents are so annoying. They think their kid is the cutest, funniest etc.

4. I won't let the animals near my child. They could hurt the baby, and the fur would get on everything, not to mention those dog kisses (yuck). It's just not sanitary.

5. I won't work my schedule around my child's. The child needs to adapt to my schedule. Some parents will schedule everything around nap tim and bed time, and that's just rediculous.

.....AND THEN I BECAME A MOM....and this all went down the drain.

1. I quickly learned that sound machines are life savers and keep your child from waking at every little sound. 

2. I learned that the swing is a sleep saver. My son would wake up every two hours, but the swing would lull him back to sleep for another few hours. This saved me from many sleepless nights. 

3. To the third point, Yes, I was one of those parents who couldn't take enough photos of her son, and gladly shared them with the world.

4. I learned that our animals are amazing with children and our dog was even protective of our son when we first brought him home. She wouldn't let the cats near him for the first few weeks, but now they're all buddies. I was worried unnecesarily. Braeden and our dog, Millie, are best friends as you can see.

5...and Finally I learned that sometimes you do need to work your schedule around your child's needs. I learned that having a cranky toddler who missed his nap is not enjoyable, and makes for a very ugly rest of the day. Sometimes the child's need for sleep is more important than having a social life. 

What I'm trying to say is that many of the things you think you know about being a parent change when you actually become one. Cut yourself some slack! 

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies or mommies to be!