If you are waiting for your first child to join your home, you might wonder how different your life will become once you are a parent. I do not believe there really is a way that you can prepare yourself other than just by diving in when it happens.

Parenting books are a good idea because they give you an idea about what to expect. With adopting a newborn, I had basic questions about how frequently to feed the baby and how much sleep he needed. I am not sure if there are book references available regarding these kinds of questions for older children, though.

When my sister went into labor, she had me watch her older child, who was four years old, for a few days. I had babysat for him a couple of times, but that was about it for my parenting experience. I was very nervous about what I needed to do when. Her sage advice was to feed him when I eat, take him to the bathroom when I needed to use the bathroom, and put him to bed on time. Believe me – I did not need encouragement to put the child to bed by the end of the day because I was pooped!

Talking with experienced parents was very helpful to me in the early weeks because they were old hands at what to do with a child. The most important advice they gave me with a newborn was to sleep when the baby slept. That seemed excessive until my body experienced what it is like to have to function on two to three hours of sleep here and there. I learned quickly that I would need to nap frequently while my baby napped if I was going to be able to keep up with the job physically.

Whether you adopt a newborn or an older child, your life is going to be very different. In some ways, the changes are wonderful, and in other ways, the changes are rough. (Oh, how I long to sleep past 8:00 a.m. one time before I die!) I really do not believe there is anything you can hear or read to prepare you fully for the changes ahead. Just know that, as challenging as parenting can be, it is one of the most rewarding experiences you will ever have.

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Parenting Preparation

Photo Credit: Lynda Bernhardt