Nothing Sacred

You go through life...and you own everything...your time...your possesions..it's all yours..and then you become a parent. It's not like you 'loose' anything. You don't. In fact, you gain alot. It's just that things are not the same. Take 'time' for example. You never really owned it. But as 'nonparents' you think you do. You wake up when you want. You sleep as long as you want (unless it's a week day, and then you make a show of showing up in time for work!!). Once you become a parent though, time is no longer yours. You wake up when a little someone needs to be drier...or fed...or hugged...Life is no longer on your shedule. Your possesions? hahaha..no such thing. Once you are a parent, it all becomes communal property. 'Your' glass of juice becomes 'ours'. Your bed now holds three or four, even though you were sold a bed that would 'hold two if you cuddled'. You give up alot as a parent. And nothing, I repeat, NOTHING is sacred. You can't shower, go potty (only a true parent says 'go potty'!) without answering several life threatening questions. You know the kind...they go something like "Why CAN'T you put the cat in the dryer?" and "Who was Santa's mommy?". Of course, once that life altering moment of birth happens, you suddenly have all the answers. Answers you never even knew you knew before. Why can't you put the cat in dryer? Why, because the cat is fluffy enough. Who was Santa's mommy? 'Well, of course, Know one knows who Santa's mommy was, because Santa was born so long ago, who can remember?". Anyways....you loose alot of things when you are a parent. You also gain alot of things. Things you didn't know you'd lost. Like how to look up at the sky and simply stare open mouthed at a rainbow. You gain the ability to ward off aliens and strange beasties in the night. Super powers are bestowed upon you when you become a parent. All of a sudden, you become the hero you never knew you were. And you also gain the ability of insight. Ahhhh, yes.....insight. You begin to understand your parents ever so clearly. All those things you SWORE you'd never say...yah...you say them. Things like, "If you climb to the top of that tree and fall, I won't be at your funeral". Things like "of COURSE your hamster is in heaven now" (this after the aformentioned hamster was 'loved' to death by hugging!).
Anyways...as a parent, I have come to understand that nothing is no longer solely 'mine'. I admit that. I understand that. I accept that.
So now, I bid you goodnight. I will get into my pajamas and robe and read a bit before I slumber.
Of course, I can't TIE my robe. Nope. Because my sash is being used as a holster for my four year olds immitation colt 45. He doesn't own a belt at the age of 4. So I had to donate to the cause. But hey...I am a parent remember?
Sleep well...
Jaye