If there is something that being a mother has taught me, it is that we can all change our mind and I have also learned to understand that sometimes not everything we plan is possible to do. Many times we think that things are already written or that they will work as we think, but when we do, we get a surprise.
Today I want to share, with a little humor, some situations that we as mothers and fathers imagine in a beautiful way in our mind and that in the end end up being a disaster: seven cases of expectation versus reality when you have children.
Family photo
Let's start with a classic with which most people will be able to identify themselves: the family photo. All mothers like to take pictures of our children, but we rarely appear in it. Maybe that's why our insistence arises for having a photo session with the whole family, in which for once in a lifetime we can all appear.
Expectation. Dress all very cute, comb the children, get some decorative elements to give a special touch or look for a nice place to use as a background. The whole family present and showing a big smile to the camera.
Reality. The baby cries, the children sting their clothes and one of them has dropped something that has made him dirty. And the hairstyles? As if they just woke up. And what about the poses, if everyone is turning to the side, and the only one who is paying attention instead of smiling, manages to make a strange face. But well, at least we already have a picture together, right?
Travel by car
Traveling by car and family is a very nice thing, because in addition to serving us to disconnect from the daily hustle and bustle, it helps us give our children new memories of places we visit together.
Expectation. All ready and happy in the car, listening to music on the road or singing all in family, excited to reach their destination. After a few minutes on the way, the children sleep peacefully in their chairs and we have a little time to talk quietly while we are planning what we will do when we arrive at our destination.
Reality. The children hate the car and most of the road they cry, asking to get off or delighting us with a serenade of screams and sobs. The typical questions of "How much is missing? Are we there yet?" every thirty seconds or less. Until finally, the children fall asleep ... 10 minutes before the end of the trip.
Trying a new recipe
Every mother knows very well the foods that her children like. We know which ones always work and we usually prepare things that we know well. But from time to time, we feel like trying something different and we choose to learn a new recipe to cook for our family.
Expectation. You prepare with time, buy the necessary ingredients and even mention to your children that there will be something new and different for dinner tonight: a surprise! You spend hours in the kitchen and you have to be reviewing the recipe before each step, but you know that the result will be delicious and worthwhile.
Reality. The food takes a little longer than expected and your children begin to despair. Finally you serve her and the expression of disgust on her face says it all: they won't taste a single bite. And if that day they are not in the mood, get ready to see your freshly made food flying through the air. What do they eat at the end? The croquettes from the supermarket you had in the freezer.
The school festival
In many countries, it is customary to hold festivals that celebrate a particular date: mother's day, the end of courses, the beginning of spring, and so on. It is a day that many expect, to see our beautiful children dance or sing tenderly.
Expectation. We arrive on time, take a good seat and wait for the show to begin. Our children go on stage and perform a magnificent performance with their performance or dance, while we fall apart taking pictures and video to capture those beautiful and unforgettable moments.
Reality. We left home late because we did not find the glove / hat / mask of the locker room that our children will wear. Finally we arrive, we take some places that are not so bad and we wait. Finally, our children appear on stage, we applaud them euphorically ... and they stay like statues. Or worse, they cry from their nerves and find it impossible to move. Anyway, at least they looked beautiful with their costumes.
The birthday party
A child's birthday will always be a special date for us, and during his first years of life, planning and organizing his birthday party is something that makes us very excited.
Expectation. If you already show a preference for a character, choose the theme of the birthday party together. You prepare everything so that the great day looks beautiful, with decorations, games and meals that will keep the guests fun and happy.
Reality. What happened to our editor Silvia, who after weeks preparing a Star Wars party, found that the decorations caught the attention of the invited children so much, that they pounced on them and only lasted for five minutes, which later They would pass it when he proposed the games that he had prepared so enthusiastically and in the end, that everyone would laugh because they did not know what the character was in the birthday cake.
Meals out
For those special occasions, on weekends or simply, one day that we don't feel like cooking, we always have the option to go out to eat outside as a family and thus enjoy a good time together away from home.
Expectation. Everyone asks for what they want most, the children finish or eat most of their dish, they talk as a family and the meal takes place like a nice family moment.
Reality. The place is very full, your son refuses to eat what he had ordered and manifests it through a series of cries and desperate screams that make some people around come back to see them. And of course, you end up with your cold meal or asking to take what you left (which is almost the whole dish).
Family movie night
How nice to stay one afternoon locked in a little house, huddled in family while enjoying a movie! It is one of the easiest and most economical activities we can have, and that we can certainly enjoy a lot with our children.
Expectation. We prepare everything for family movie night: pillows, some comfortable blankets and of course, that something rich to eat is not lacking. We choose the film among all and enjoy it until the end or until the children have fallen asleep. A quiet and beautiful family night.
Reality. We can't agree for the movie. Everyone wants the same pillow. Finally we settle and the children do not stop bothering each other. We pause the movie every 10 minutes because they want to go to the bathroom, jump, socks bother them or any other reason that prevents them from watching the movie. We end up putting the Paw Patrol or Peppa Pig until everyone falls down.
Family moments are perfectly imperfect
You may identify yourself with one or all of these situations, some of them exaggerate a bit to give you a touch of humor, remembering that Many times things do not go as planned, but we must not let that ruin our day.
Let's take those moments of disaster also with humor and laughing at them, which surely in a couple of years will be some of the fun anecdotes that we can relive as a family. Life with babies and children is usually unpredictable, but learning to enjoy the positive of those perfectly imperfect moments, we can take it better.
Photos | iStock
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