Fairy tale??

I recently hear a couple who is expecting their first child talk about how they are finally living our the fairy tale they have always dreamed of.


I'm not so sure about that.

If you think a fairy tale is:

Having your body (or watching your partners body) being totally effed up
Chronic pain (even after the baby is born, your back will never be the same)
Leaky boobs
Other leaks
Never sleeping in again, ever.
A screaming baby. All. Night. Long
Rude comments from everyone under the sun
Complete exhaustion for the next 25 years
Toddler tantrums
Poop
Vomit
Snot
Mom/Dad guilt
Life altering decisions
The most important/scary responsibility in the world
Crying, as a mom you will cry over everything, as a dad you will think your partner is crazy

If you think all of these things make a fairy tale then you are crazy.

All that being said, for me, having my son has been the biggest blessing I could ever imagine. My husband and I, our life is certainly not a fairy tale, but we are living out our dreams, the dreams we had when we were 16 and 17 years old. We are living it out every day. Life isn't always easy, in fact the last year and a half has been very difficult and emotionally taxing, but having our sweet son has made everything worth it.

Stories of parenthood and fairy tales are not often found in the same book, but that is only because parenthood is real, fairy tales are not.

I'd rather live in an episode of Up All Night than a scene from Ever After any day.

Give your babies an extra long hug tonight, they wont be babies for long.