But man oh man, is he an utter delight. He is fun and funny and bright and affectionate. He is creative and high-energy and passionately loving. His strong will and big feelings and tender affection will make him extremely successful one day in school, his career, and his relationships. He is a joy-bomb every single day, and we wouldn’t have him any other way.
Since when has something being easier made us into better people? Maybe, just maybe, the hard babies, the “bad” babies, turn us into better parents, and even better human beings.
So I’ve learned over the past two year that perhaps “easy” is not what I should aim to achieve in parenting. Since when has something being easier made us into better people? Maybe, just maybe, the hard babies, the “bad” babies, turn us into better parents, and even better human beings. Perhaps difficult babies shatter our selfishness, and put us through a kind of intensive “boot camp” that makes us better prepared to face the other challenges that life will undoubtedly heave our way. I am a better person for having my beautiful, hilarious, loving, “not good baby,” and I am so thankful that he is mine.
This piece originally appeared on Her View From Home. Kimberly Poovey is a writer, speaker, wife, and over-caffeinated new(ish) mom. She runs a teen pregnancy prevention program for a nonprofit and is a founder of Pearls, an organization that serves women in the sex industry and fights human trafficking. You can find her over on Scary Mommy, The Mighty, her blog, and on Facebook.
