Parenting - Joy but no fun

This topic inspired on this article:

http://nymag.com/news/features/67024/


One truth about parenting is happiness level decreases after becoming parent. In the beginning you have exciting moment because you are waited so much to become parent. But as days goes that new human being does not really matters, you want to enjoy your life. Don't have a kid just to have a kid. You should really, really want one. And not for a selfish reason like "I don't want to be alone when I'm old.", or "Some of our friends have one" etc.

One reason why parent hate being parent is they cannot enjoy the life they want to. It is inconvenient, messy, noisy and full of work (and sacrifice, such as Saturday at Chuck E. Cheese, or drop of the classes) but it is hardly the only aspect of life that is like that and it is certainly not boring. There is nothing easy about being a parent. You give up a lot of your life. You may give up almost all of your recreational activities for awhile. You will be tired. You will be stressed. You will spend a lot of money.

Parenting isn't about being happier. It is about being a bigger and better person. Children make your life BIGGER. You feel moments of happiness like you've never felt before. You also feel moments of anger like you've never felt before.

It really is indescribable and not for the faint of heart or the selfish. The beautiful thing about parenting is that it shows you who you really are (not who you think you are), and gives you chances every day to grow.

It makes you see what really matters in life, assuming you actually come to this realization. I've seen plenty of people not realize this and fight to keep their identity, their original idea of what they wanted for themselves while also trying to be a parent. That doesn't work.

Part of parenting is a certain amount of ego destruction. You have to go through that if you want to genuinely care for another human being.

This is what makes the experience of parenting so great. It is a kind of Zen experience of making yourself better by destroying your concept of self (and putting another 'self' first more than your own self would like).

I got to say I hate people who become parent and do not embrace themselves as a parent.

Becoming a parent is the best and worst thing that ever happened to me.