Ah, To Be Young.

I actually really, really like being a young mom.  You probably don't believe me since I whine and complain a lot about the people who have nasty things to say about it.

But whether young parenthood is accepted by society or not (and its not for everyone, as I'm constantly reminded) you can't deny the perks of young motherhood (I mean, you can.  But take your comments elsewhere.).

7.  I run well on a lack of sleep.  It wasn't that long ago I spent my nights up at the Rugby house and out with friends until 3 or 4 in the morning.  But now instead trying not to get arrested, I'm trying to tip toe and keep my children asleep.  But even when they don't sleep, I only want to stab myself in the eyes every other hour instead of every hour.  I think that's pretty good!

6.  My body bounces back pretty quickly.  I'm not 100% sure if that's from being young or nursing, but either way I'll take it.  Obviously, no, my body is not the same.  My hips are wider and my belly has stretch marks.  But after gaining 70 pounds with Little S (Yes, 70. I like cupcakes a lot) and 35 pounds with Rae, I'm happy to say I lost all the weight within 5 months with each of them.

Shameless bragging selfie.

5.  I grew up quickly.  We got married, got jobs to save up some money and took responsibility for Little S.  Looking back at how I was just 3 years ago, I couldn't imagine how I would be now had I not had Little S.  I know a lot of people enjoy using their twenties to "find themselves" and establish a career, but I'm happy with finding a career later.  Jobs will always be there, my youth won't.  And personally, I like using these years chasing Little S naked around the house and rocking Rae to sleep. 

4.  God willing, I'll be there for them most of their lives.  I'm hoping that since we started having kids at 20 instead of 30 I'll get be there for their 145th birthday parties.  I'll be young enough to keep up with them physically and mock them by being way more stylish than them (yoga pants and t-shirts with spit up on them are in this season, right?).

3.  I don't miss anything.  I never traveled before having kids.  We never had a lot of money.  We never knew a quiet house together.  We had 4 months of marriage before Little S was born, then it fell into place.  The transition was easy (ish).  We got all the newness of marriage and parenthood in one swoop and then it just became normal.  I never had to sit back and look at the "old life" I had and miss it.  I didn't really enjoy watching people barf of the sidewalks every weekend and scrolling through hundreds of pictures of people with their eyes half open.  That's not really my thing anymore.

This is what college was all about.

2.  I get pregnant really, really easily.  Almost too easily, as you can tell by Little S.  That, my friends, is an example that birth control is not 100% effective.  Then with Rae, Big S sneezed and I got pregnant.  I'll never forget the labor and delivery nurse who told me I had "baby bearing hips" as I was getting ready to have Little S.  Yes.  That's what every woman wants to hear, how incredibly wide and good their hips are for having babies.  But I'm just very, very fortunate to be done having babies while it's still easy in that sense.

1.  I found my calling.  And I don't mean just motherhood.  Yes, obviously motherhood is my calling.  Can't you tell by how much my children love me?  But other than that, I've found that through all the negativity and the weirdness surrounding the changes in my life, I've learned to encourage others through it.  I was so incredibly bitter when I first had Little S.  I was scared and lonely and ashamed.  And yeah, sometimes I still feel that way.  But the more I've put myself out there, the more I've come to realize, everyone else is just as messed up as I am.  So I pour out my imperfections all over the Internet for you to mock and feel better about yourselves.  You're welcome.

Becoming a mother earlier than expected didn't end my life, it made it start a little earlier.

Tim Riddick Photography.

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