The Club

I feel like I was inducted into "The Club" today.

The club that I giggled at when I was first married.

The club that I yearned to join for years while I struggled to get/stay pregnant.

The club of young moms.

J and I went to a birthday party for one of our friends, B, who turned 2 today.  His parents are in our ward and we are very good friends with them.  While the kids were playing, we moms sat in the shade and talked.  About sleeping (and lack of it), how we deal with the "crazy" when it invades, development milestones, funny things our kids say/do, etc.

When we left the party, I simultaneously wanted to laugh and cry.

Laugh because "The Club" seems like such a silly thing.  

And cry because I'm finally part of it!

 

Raising a kid is hard work.

 It's like riding a bike when you've never done it before and there are no training wheels.  Except, when you fall, you aren't the only one who ends up with a boo-boo.  And just when you get the hang of it, there's a speed bump.  Or an uphill stretch.  Or a dead end.  

And sometimes you just need someone, another mom, to say "Yeah, I went through that too."  Or to tell you, "It's ok that you're not washing your hair more than once a week."  Or remind you, "They're only this little for such a short amount of time, so enjoy it!"  And you need to see that the kids of the mom who is telling you "Yeah, I went through that too" are normal and happy, which makes you feel like it's not such a big deal and you can get through this phase.

 So, while there's no card or a secret handshake, my tired eyes, shirt with spit-up spots, and adorable son is my proof of membership in the best club ever.

I love being a mom!