Having a baby can change the entire trajectory of one's life.
What was once a free-for-all is now time dedicated to feeding, sleeping, and bathing a little one and that dedication goes on for at least a decade before things start to ease up a bit.
One mom recently opened up on the British parenting platform, Mumsnet, about regretting having her child because she misses having alone time.
"My baby is ten months old. I love her more than anything in the world," she said in a thread posted to the forum. "I constantly worry about something bad happening to her. She is a lovely, bright, happy, sweet, and quite an independent child."
However, despite her child being a light in her life, the mom-of-one has some reservations about motherhood - in particular, her lack of free time.
"...I just can’t shake the feeling that I regret having her. I just want to go back to my old life. I had a quiet, peaceful, unexciting life, and that’s what I like," she continued. "I’m a very introverted, self-contained person and I was always happy just being by myself, working from home, watching Netflix in the evenings, enjoying nature, having dinner out now and again. Maybe a holiday once in a while."
The mom went on to state that she knows those privileges are "obviously all gone now" before adding that she "doesn't like it."
"I don’t like parenting. I think it’s mainly the constant sense of responsibility, constantly having to entertain a baby, never being able to just sit and relax and do nothing all day, always having to be on alert," she wrote. "I know having an older child will bring its own difficulties, but I’m wondering if I’ll enjoy it more once I can reason with her a bit and she can entertain herself more? Or will I always regret the loss of my old life?"
She then asked for advice from other parents who had gone through the same thing.
Hundreds of people took to the comments to offer some kind words of support.
"It's all part of parenting, you learn to take it in your stride as they get older that said they do get better at entertaining themselves," wrote one user while another added: "It gets better! I found the baby age mind numbing because you are constantly on alert but =never really doing anything you want to."
They continued: "Once you don't have to watch every single thing they do, and they actually want to do quite fun things with you, it definitely gets better. Don't get me wrong, long boozy brunches are a thing of the past, but you get much more of yourself back once they get to school age."
A third also echoed a similar response: "Someone told me once they hit two it suddenly becomes easier and I have definitely found that."
One user also pointed out that it might just be a natural process of grieving.
"I don't think it's so much the baby as the grieving for your old life. I felt all those things you do and I was an older mum who liked my lazy ass ways. When I had my second, my baby was just as tricky on paper, but I was no longer grieving my old life so it's way easier."
What do you think?
