Rocking your world, toddler style

Oh George, your innocent comment in the Globe and Mail on Monday made me laugh out loud.

Former Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman and his partner, Christopher Peloso, are set to welcome their 14-month-old son later this month. The couple’s adoption has been approved and George told the Globe’s Jane Taber that he is “intensely thrilled” about becoming a dad.

When warned that a toddler will dramatically change their lifestyle, George reportedly had this to say: “Try being Health Minister for five years.”

Oh George, when I read that comment out to dear husband, he too laughed out loud. We both thought the same thing, “Ah, new parents. So innocent, so naive.”

I have no idea what being a health minister is like. I’m sure it is intense, difficult, challenging, frustrating, but rewarding work. But I know what it is like to be a parent of a toddler. It too is intense, difficult, challenging, frustrating, but rewarding work. Being a parent is the hardest job you’ll ever have. So be prepared to have your world rocked (but in a good way). Toddlers keep you on your toes. You’ll be amazed at what they are able to do. Your furniture will become a jungle gym. Your living room will instantly become a playroom. You’ll try to fight it at first, but eventually you’ll give in. If you have a coffee table you might as well get rid of it now. I can’t remember what our coffee table looks like. Oh, and watch your language. Like the saying goes, little pitchers have big ears. (And just a word of advice, the no stage seems to last a long time. Just roll with it). And try to keep strong during negotiations. Toddlers are hard and tough little negotiators. They have an “all but nothing” attitude. They will try to wear you down, but keep strong. In times like these, I rely on the strength of other parents who I know in the midst their own hard negotiations.

You’ll soon find yourself wondering if all you do all day is wash sippy cups and pick up food off and under the high chair. And you’ll wonder how much laundry can one little person create in one day. It truly is amazing. And then there is the exhaustion factor. While you are dragging your butt by 5 p.m., they are still on the go. It almost makes a person want curl up and cry.

But like I said earlier in this post, being a parent is rewarding word, especially when they say your name, smile at you, reach up to you for you to pick them up and cuddle on you when your resting your exhausted body on the couch. Those are precious, heart warming moments that you will cherish forever. It makes the laundry washing, sippy cup washing, and food cleaning worthwhile.

So congratulations, George and Christopher. Welcome to parenthoood! Enjoy the wild ride. And George, don’t be surprised if you find the job as parent harder than being a health minister. Naivete happens to the best of us.