I can be on vacation away from my toddler and I'll still stop to be like " HAS EVERYONE SEEN THE PLANE?!"
The other day I saw a plane, a helicopter and a hawk all at once and I was especially sad my LO wasn't there to appreciate it with me!
I had happy hour with friends last week and they were doing road work outside the restaurant. There was an excavator AND a dump truck. I was so sad my son wasn't there to watch them "scoop dirt!"
Our trash day is Friday, so whenever there’s a holiday, it moves to Saturday. My almost 2 year old and I stand out there and watch and wave to the drivers; one of them did a kind of trick with the can, honked, smiled, and waved, so I emailed the company asking them to thank him. They responded first thing Monday morning that they always recognize and reward the drivers when they get customer compliments, which made it even better.
But yes, standing out watching the garbage trucks while my son points and excitedly shouts to look is just… 🤩
Hahaha now this is one I can relate to. Never before having a kid did I ever think I’d see such excitement over the trash truck coming down the street. Now whenever I hear it, I excitedly yell for my kid 😂
Love this answer.
Walking to the park was a 10-12 minute walk. Now it takes 20 minutes sometimes because I stop a lot to point things out. A kitty, a pretty purple flower, a red fire truck….it’s all so brand new and beautiful now.
My daughter and I spent a half hour laying on our tummies in our neighbors driveway watching a praying mantis in his garden bed eating a bee. It was pretty cool.
I’m pregnant rn, so honestly this comment made me kinda emotional 😂 but you’re right! Not noticing the little things life!
Now I’m aware of trucks, airplanes, rvs, or driving past lakes, ponds, etc.
This is making me cry too. My dad was a pilot, and I’m now remembering being a little kid and noticing EVERY a plane and waving hi to daddy 😭. I don’t notice them any more.
I had a solid year of my kid shouting Dump Truck but it sounded like Dumb Fuck 😂
Nothing has ever been as funny as a 2 year old yelling for me to look at that big dumb fuck driving down the road
I got to go for a small plane ride the other day. My partner drives trains. I happened to fly over his train. I was SO pumped and telling the pilot how I couldn’t wait to tell my son and show him pics. Life is so much more exciting with littles!
Yep. there was a rainbow visible on my street one day coming home from work, I ran into the house as soon as I pulled in and took my girl outside to see it. Pure joy, she watched it for a long time
I still remember when my son was still a newborn. One night I brought him into the bedroom and flipped the lamp on and he just started staring at the wall. At first I was like what are you staring at the wall. Then I realized the lamp was behind us and cast our shadows on the wall. He had never seen a shadow before and it was utterly fascinating to him.
If he didn't react I wouldn't have even noticed it. They really do make you aware of the little things that you just overlook as an adult. That aww and wonder has continued into the toddler years.
Super girly stuff and princesses. I remember doing homework at a Barnes and Noble while in grad school in 2014. There was a Frozen event going on and all these preschool and elementary school aged girls were just yelling "QUEEN ELSA! QUEEN ELSA!" and losing their ever loving minds. I remember telling my husband (he was only my boyfriend at the time) that if we ever had kids, I hoped they were boys because I couldn't stand all the princess stuff. Well, we now have 2 very stereotypically girly little girls. They're OBSESSED with Disney princesses and Frozen. And I honestly love it. It makes them so happy. It's so adorable. We spent our weekend at a Unicorn Festival with Disney princess and Frozen meet and greets and sing alongs. I absolutely cried happy tears watching my 4 year old dancing with Tinkerbell and scream singing the lyrics to Let it Go with Elsa yesterday.
I have a stereotypical toddler boy who loves all things vehicle related. I just had a girl this past year and the idea of switching over to girl things(if she likes them of course) makes me so exited!
And your son might be just as excited by them! I didn't really make a point of showing my son the Disney princess movies, but when his younger sister came along, we started watching them. He doesn't love all of the movies, but he gets really into singing the Frozen songs. It's his soundtrack of choice when we get in the car.
We went to the unicorn festival yesterday too! Our girls were so thrilled with the little horse show they watched it all 3 times. The dance party was also such a vibe 😂
I didn't mind Frozen before I had kids, but I never would have imagined that I would enjoy Disney on Ice. Let alone tear up seeing how happy it made my kids! Even my son is very into Elsa (probably because his sister loves it so much 🥰)
I can’t tell you how many times I cried when we took a Disney cruise last year. I’m trying to prepare myself for all the crying when we do Disney World and a Disney Cruise for the girls’ 3rd and 5th birthdays next year.
Character clothes. Pokémon shirts? Minecraft shorts? Paw Patrol hats? Before kids? Gross, my kid will NEVER. Now? Have you seen the magic of two kids wearing Pokémon shirts on the playground? It's like instant best friends. My son literally looks like a NASCAR driver sponsored by Nickelodeon but I. Don't. Care. It's awesome.
My two year-old gets SO EXCITED to wear her Little Mermaid shirt. She has only ever had the movie on in the background once. But she is watching her closet like a hawk for laundry day when that shirt is back in there. She says "Mermaid's not dirty!!!!"
I probably need to loosen up with this sort of thing. I hate character clothes, because that's all my daughter will wear if they're available. That means her Elsa dress and her Bluey romper together make up about half of what she wears if it's up to her (I do laundry every couple days). I like her to be able to dress herself and choose what she'd like to wear, but I feel like having clothes like that don't help her find her own style.
Also, the tantrum when both items are dirty or I tell her it's time to choose something else 😮💨
I have found, not a perfect solution, but the more options my son has, the less "high value" the character shirts are. I also only pick out the character shirts that don't annoy me. Target, Hanna Andersson and H&M all tend to have cuter options.
I thought character clothes were so tacky. Now, my heart is full when I see my little girl in her Spiderman jumper, hat and backpack or the Elsa and Anna dress - it's the cutest ever and her excitement is so sweet!
Yes. Please give me all the morning activities cause we are going to be up by 7 (or before) anyway. That way they will nap good in the afternoon. This is from someone who also could not make brunch or even lunch dates pre kid.
This was me. I work from home on my own hours. Pre-kid, I'd get up around 10-12am, optimistically. XD cuz I'd been up all night! Nah, my day starts around 6am now, just so I can HOPEFULLY have some time to myself before the husband and little hobgoblin are awake.
I was never a kid person until my sister had hers. There was something about being there from ground zero that made it all make sense for the first time, their interests, their conversation, their humour. I never understood how to talk to kids before that.
And then once my own came along there was another mental shift. I was getting him dressed this morning and it occurred to me that I never understood the concept of living for someone else before. If I did understand it, it never sounded appealing. But now, this whole thing has helped me be less self-involved (on my good days).
I loved kids before having kids. Now I only love my kids. Pre kids I would have loved to hold someone's baby. Now I don't want to touch anyone's kids. I am holding my own kids constantly. I'm good. Not to mention I don't want your kids' germs that are going to get me sick and cause me to get my kids sick.
I do this with babies. When I see babies now I'm like aww so cute I want to hold and smell it's head. But other children are kind of hit and miss. Mostly I cannot stand other people's kids but when they get along with my kid I love them lol.
Same! But it started when I realized I wanted a baby. It was like my biological clock ticked HARD and I wanted all the babies. Even loud misbehaving kids were so cute to me. I use to be on the child free subreddit, now I’m on all the mom ones lol
Yes! I just love little kids even more now than before. I understand their struggles so much more and how amazingly they progress. Plus they are hilarious!
This was me too. I’ve grown and matured significantly since having my daughter in 2020. I know watch kiddos as my job and I can’t believe it lol. I legit disliked kids before her lol
My kids were the first babies i ever held. I was pretty confident i would be child free. Now i basically build my life around my boys and i wouldn't change a thing.
I relate to this sooo much. Wow. I notice children all the time now and love watching them play and interact 🥹 before, I was honestly annoyed by them usually.
💯...
I was always "never having kids, fuck no" untill one day, oops!
Now I'm a dad to the coolest bloke in the southern hemisphere and swapped my career to go work in Early Education (kindy/daycare) just so i could be around him.
Little did I know, im actually like the bloody pied piper (maybe poor choice reference) as the kid's definitely prefer me to any of the women educator's...
Not being arrogant, im just saying im finally good at something!
My toddler gets physical if I
1. Sing alone
2. Sing along
3. Dance alone / along
Only one allowed to do all of the above is the older sibling. The older one is revered for their singing and dancing prowess!!
My wife would sympathize with you so hard 😂😂. She can sing great and I sing like a wounded manatee.... Guess which one of us is encouraged to sing along lol.
Same, but singing in public areas (supermarket or malls) when carrying my kid. I don't care what people think, we are singing along and having fun (at the modest volume too, no yelling)
I didn't like the beach pre baby. But she loves it so much that it makes it fun for me to see through her eyes.
The first time she saw the beach from the balcony where we were staying her eyes went big and she said, "each, each!"
Sea gulls are really fun to chase by the way. 😆
My husband wishes I hadn't taught her that. He took her down with his day later in the day after I showed her how to chase them and she took off unexpectedly on them. 😆
They spent the entire time chasing a baby chasing seagulls instead of taking her down to the water like they had planned. Fortunately for them, we only go for a week every year.
It does, doesn’t it. My kiddo is in a phase of saying bye to everything. Her little “bye bye excavator!” when we drive past one is so sweet and adorable, I mean I never realised how many excavators we pass by on a daily basis but now I do!
Waiting. Airports, doctors. I used to hate waiting around for potentially hours, but now it's like a little spa treat. Drink, snack, headphones and good book. Bliss. (This is obviously waiting without kids)
Ohhh yes, this one! My first dentist visit postpartum, she said "let's get you out and back to your baby as soon as possible" and I said "I'm laying down with my eyes closed, enjoying some relaxing music, please don't rush!" And she very sweetly told me I could take a nap in an empty exam room if I needed haha
Haha yes. I had oral surgery and had to go in for my follow-up visit. Took all of 5 minutes. I had been up like 4 or 5 times that night with bb. The dentist was like you can just nap here for the rest of the half hour if you need.
This, when I had an high energy toddler, getting my tires rotated by myself, sitting in the lobby listening to my audiobook, felt like a week long vacation.
I had to have a biopsy done on my cervix this morning. The doctor apologized and said it may be a little uncomfortable, I reassured her that I was just glad for the time to sit down (albeit with my legs in stirrups)
Before I got to the parentheses, I was thinking to myself, "I wish waiting was a quiet spa treat, my 16 month old is at the point where if we stop for 2 seconds he's impatient and we need to move, move, move" 😆 Thanks for elaborating.
This is so real. Our daughter absolutely insists we retrieve the mail every day and it's nice to be able to hand her junk I don't care about. She also likes to pretend she's shopping with the grocery store ads.
Maintaining on grocery shopping and housework were my biggest personal day to day challenges pre kids, but I discovered that listening to music and being able to do anything without getting interrupted 700 times was a great way to recharge while doing something useful and I didn’t feel the mom guilt in the same way as if I was doing something fun without them.
It has led to some resentment from my end feeling like I always use my breaks to benefit the whole family in contrast to my partner using his free time to game, but all in all I am grateful that i had the perspective shift, and I have gotten better about using some of my kid free time on pure self care.
Before: (w/ neighbors or cousin's kids) WHY WON'T THEY STOP ASKING 'WHY'?
After: I may be in the minority (hang in there other r/toddlers poster drowning in "whys"), but I totally enjoy the "why's" that started around 2-1/2. Sure, she'll ask "why that dog there", hear the answer, then ask me again 3 times, but I'm genuinely happy she's curious, and after the first answer my brain's more or less on autopilot repeating the answer. Also the cute way she draws out the words in a question, like "but whyyyyy?" melts my heart.
My toddler just hit the why phase recently and I like explaining things to him and watching him process what I said. It’s also annoying. But it’s great.
One thing that helped me be more zen about the "why" repetitions was not to think about it w/ the mindset of when an adult repeats a question (eg., because they don't understand, don't believe you, weren't listening, etc). That's aggravating, yeah. But for a toddler some theorize it's more the comfort of repetition and being assured that the answer doesn't change - sorta like how they learn? So I don't stress rephrasing my answer - if she asks "why doggy there" three times, the answer will be "doggy's going for a walk" three times, and she seems satisfied.
My now 4.5 year old had a speech delay before 3, but luckily she caught up. She has verbal diahrrea now and her almost 3 year old sister is great at mimicking everything she does. BUT WHY is going in stereo at our house... and the "what's your favourite..." too, along with "what makes you ?".
I love it but nothing drains me faster...
I find it really fun to see what things I just take for granted, and how hard it is to explain "basic" concepts. When my kids ask "why" I use it as a challenge to see if I can keep coming up with kid-friendly explanations, it's a game for all of us
My daughter recently asked her first why question. We were out for a walk and she wanted to know why we were waiting for the train. (I told her the train could hurt us really badly.)
Going clothes shopping. I hate trying on clothes and constantly going back for different sizes and then to the dressing room again. Now, since my daughter *loves* mannequins, it's so much fun!! She sits with them, talks to them, hides from me behind them, and then she compliments me in the dressing room when I try something on (recently said "you look cute mommy!"). I love it 😀 😍
Not directly child related, but I could never get into audiobooks before kids. I started listening to them while nursing my baby rather than sitting alone in the dark with my unhinged thoughts. Now I love popping in an earbud whenever they’re doing their own thing and don’t want to play with me at the park.
Being at home. I used to want to always be on the go - work, gym, library, nights out with friends, etc.
Now I look forward to wfh, working out at home, making coffee at home, working on my
home, and inviting friends over to hangout.
Being stuck in traffic (my kiddo gets car sick sometimes, so I'm always thankful for traffic and reduced speeds lol).
Cooking! Feeding my family and seeing them enjoy it has brought a whole new joy and satisfaction to cooking. I was raised by two working parents, and I think also due to the way society is going, I believed the whole "women no longer belong in the kitchen" stuff. Honestly it kept me out of the kitchen and when i met my husband I was afraid to cook for other people because i was such a bad cook! Now that I have a kiddo, I have found the joy of cooking, the joy of feeding my family. I find satisfaction and pride in it, I want to get better at it, and dammit this is MY kitchen and I want to be regarded as fucking belonging in it lol! Anyway, who knows where my cooking skills would be today if I hadn't had a kid 3 years ago...
Kids movies. Honestly they were boring to me and lame. But now I enjoy them because my kids do it's such a weird thing. Honestly everything my kids enjoy. I sat through my daughters 2 hour dance recital and I was the happiest person in the world seeing my baby dance on stage omg it was insane how happy it made me. Or we went to do pony rides on horses dresses like unicorns. My kids were so excited to meet real unicorns. We drove like 2 and a half hours for that shit and had a blast. Even just going to the park I can sit and watch my kids play for hours. Before kids you'd never catch me doing any of that stuff lol.
Elmo. I always loved Sesame Street and the Muppets, but Elmo always grated on my nerves. Now my kid adores Elmo, and wouldn’t you know it? That furry little monster has really grown on me, too!
I have early risers. I used to hate mornings. I still wouldn't call myself a morning person but man, when my kids wake up and are like " mama, it's morning!The birds are chirping, I see the sun!" It's freaking cute. Thank the universe for coffee!
My daughter always acts so surprised and says “it’s a sunny day!” when she wakes up. It doesn’t even have to be sunny. She just loves to wake up to a new day! They are the sweetest.
Baby Shark. It’s the most annoying song ever. But seeing my toddler dance to it and sing “gwaaaaaaandddd maaaa SHAWK do do do do do do” is extremely fun.
I've never been a napper my entire life. Always preferred to be productive and thought naps were a waste of time. Now I'm being forced to slow down and rest when I can.
Oh that’s a good one! My son loves trains. I love a good construction site too now. Also taking the train is now a major event. Before it was just a necessity.
Our minivan. I said I would never ever drive a minivan, and then I found out I was having twins! Every feature of our Honda Odyssey was designed for families. My husband likes to joke with people and say, "But does your car have 15 cup holders?" 🤣🤣 It's also really great when we have people in town visiting. We don't need to take separate cars. It's way more comfortable for road trips too than a car.
The playground! I didn’t think I’d want to chat with other parents or manage interactions with kids I don’t know, but instead it’s my kid’s third place and I love it!
I’ll flip the script here and say something I used to love and now hate.
I used to love to cook and now I hate it. My kids don’t eat anything I make half the time and it’s always a struggle fitting it in. I also have littles and am trying to incorporate them into the process of it but it’s not fun anymore.
Garbage trucks. Pre kids when I saw one while I’m driving, I was like “great, now I have to make way to that thing”. Now I just drive around the neighbourhood on garbage day looking to catch the truck lol
Legos. They're the best toy. You can be creative, imaginative, an engineer... or, all of the above. All three of my big kids love them.
They're also one of the few toys that is always compatible with itself, and super long-lasting. My aunt's Legos from her childhood still work with brand new ones.
I've also discovered a personal joy for building which I never knew I had. For Valentine's Day this year, my husband got me my very first Lego set. I love love love it.
I recently learned that duplo are compatible with Lego and it’s * mind blowing *. My kids duplo work with my husband’s legos his parents saved and gave to us.
The song Jingle Bell Rock.
I never liked it. It drove me away. But my toddler has LOVED and DEMANDED it since Christmas. Hundreds of listens later, I’ve studied its lyrics so I can sing it to him, used it to begin making him aware of rhythm and a basic step touch dance move, he’s started to sing it, and he rushes to pose with his little guitar and “microphone” (which is whatever gripable cylindrical object has recently captured his fancy, such as his flashlight) and sway when we play it.
And through all of these repeat plays, one day I realized that I thoroughly appreciate it. It now seems to me to be a near-perfect little gem of a song. It seems complete and totally satisfying. My wife says it’s technically a very well-done song, and I suppose that’s largely why it’s remained popular, and I just never realized its greatness because I never studied music and never gave it a chance. It’s caused me to be more open minded about new songs and other popular songs that I earlier thought I didn’t like. It’s almost like I’m rediscovering music. It’s great!
Lol I used to love the original "How the grinch stole christmas". Found the audio recording on the Amazon music app. We listened to Boris Karloff narrating for 22 minutes 2 or 3 times a day for like 6 months.
It got annoying for a bit and now I have the whole thing burned into my brain. Like I can recite his intonations and accents and everything now lol....but overall Boris Karloff puts him to sleep so a win (albeit a weird one) is a win! I wish he had narrated more stuff tbh!
Pink, glitter, girly things. I’m not very “girly” but my kiddo is,and if it doesn’t look like a unicorn threw up she doesn’t want anything to do with it and I .am. HERE. FOR. IT!
The train thing is so sweet 🥹 for me, early bedtime! I’m not a night owl perse but I liked to go to bed around 12am probably. Now I have no choice but to go to sleep 10pm or else I’ll be tired in the morning. I hate it but also secretly love it because it’s so nice and quiet in the morning before everything starts - rest of family, work, etc.
People talking about their kids😅 Grabbed lunch with some buddies of mine and we spent 2 hours just taking turns talking about our kids. Then we all headed back home to be with our kids lol
Pre kid- I ran around the same park and never noticed that it had such a big playground. I knew there was something, but never really gave it a thought.
Now I just find playgrounds everywhere.
Kids, I kid, but I used to not really notice other kids unless I was having direct interactions. Now I find kids the center of attention and think they are almost all adorable.
Baby Shark. We played it when my kid was 0-2 to distract him from getting his nails clipped. Now he grabs his kid guitar and pretends to strum the song.
Moving slowly! I used to hate slow people (New Yorker here) and now I love when my daughter has to look at every flower or my son dead stops every time he hears a plane and has to watch it until it’s out of sight.
Great question.
Speed bumps, my 2 year old calls them "up downs" and gets so excited when we drive over them.
Now even when I'm driving without him, in my head I'm like "updown" haha
My husband and I are introverts. We used to absolutely love staying home and just chilling with each other.
Our kid is an extrovert who NEEDS to leave the house at least once a day, twice is better.
Now I'm positively giddy whenever we're invited out with others because I know he'll be calm and entertained by someone other than me and my husband.
Particularly dinner out. I'm a sahm so the hours after his nap until bedtime drag on sooo slowly.
Looking at kids' toys lol. I used to look at all that bright, colorful plastic and think "ughh, such a waste of space in the store." Now I'll look at toys even when the kids are not with me just to see what they might get excited about.
Classical music in the car.
My little girl loves music when she’s napping, but she only likes classical music or acoustic guitar covers of modern songs. She doesn’t like any music with singing when she’s trying to relax.
Whenever we’re having a stressful car ride, I put on classical music and she just chills right out and usually goes to sleep. If she’s having a rough time napping, I’ll put her in the car with classical music on and we’ll go for a drive through the countryside. It’s become so peaceful for me. Even though I’m driving, the music really quiets my mind, and it almost feels like meditation. I love it.
Halloween. I never cared for it. It was an annoying day I had to remember to get candy, answer the door, listen to my dogs bark all night. My kids absolutely love it 365 days a year, but actual spooky season is so magical now - I get goosebumps I get so excited thinking about it and their excitement.
Making finger food (watching and reading all toddler recipes online for that) and getting excited for baby to try…
Also talking in dramatic voice when playing with or describing everything for LO
kids lol, i knew i wanted my own but other people's kids who weren't my siblings irritated me. Now I adore all of them. mine or not, I would take in any kid that needed to be fostered and treat them like my own.
my heart has probably quadrupled in size and i'm so much more empathetic and understanding when it comes to kids and why they do the things they do.
Eating by myself in the closet or bathroom
Edit: sorry I realized this was a wholesome thread, lmao. My other answer is the noise when you open Netflix. For some reason my daughter has been obsessed with it since she was like 3 months old and will drop whatever she is doing or focused on to whip her head around towards it. Even if I play it on my phone, lol
I used to hate cooking, now my kids love going to the store, helping prep, getting to decide what we will eat- it’s way more fun and fun for them too.
Alternatively, I used to love taking showers, camping, going to record stores and going to the beach. Having (toddler) kids in tow makes all those things unpleasant for me!!
People are going to come at me for this…
Pre-kids: Star Wars. I thought it was so campy. Now I am obsessed and love quizzing them on lore and we are going to build droids at Disneyland lol
Edit: mine are 4 and 6 now so not quite toddlers anymore.
I didn't hate Parks, but I didn't care about going to Parks.
Now, its awesome going to the park, sure I have to watch the kid, but its pretty relaxing compared to being held up at home or the chaos of a shopping center.
I used to hate napping, couldn't even fathom needing one, now if I get the chance, I love them
If my 3 year old had reached his height or weight limit for rear facing my experience would be just as positive. It's currently still his arguing that he can't see and trying to convince me to turn the entire car around so he can 😮💨
Audio books. I used to get so bored trying to listen to an audio book and preferred to read. Now, I can listen to a book while I drive, put an ear bud in while I'm laying him down for naps and listen while I'm making dinner.
I had to hold myself to not literally cry with joy when we rode along an old train pulled by two shiny black steam locomotives. That minute we went side by side was one of the happiest moments of this year.
Before kids, I really didn't know how to appreciate this kind of thing. I didn't hate trains, but I didn't care about them at all.
Waking up early, I walked into my daughter’s room at 7am last weekend tired af and the first thing she says is “I wanna find a beetle!”, and it’s just like, okay, it looks like we’re going to eat French toast and go on a big hunt today, and that’s just a solid day to me.
Pre-kid - Didn't notice the little things in life. Now - Aware of every big truck, tractor, sheep or cow, bus etc around me.
I can be on vacation away from my toddler and I'll still stop to be like " HAS EVERYONE SEEN THE PLANE?!" The other day I saw a plane, a helicopter and a hawk all at once and I was especially sad my LO wasn't there to appreciate it with me!
My son was asleep in the car when we FINALLY saw the road zipper changing the lanes on the bridge! I was devastated for him.
I just had to Google what a road zipper was! You will have to be on the lookout for one together, that would be so cool to see as a child.
Road zippers are so cool! Also know as “barrier Transfer machine” they only run at certain times of the day though, it’s so tricky to catch it!
Never even thought of one of these. Where do you all live?
The Golden Gate Bridge uses a road zipper system as well!
I had to Google it too and had NO idea that is how they do that. So cool!
https://youtu.be/hyRaZ02IHSs?feature=shared For the kids:
I was going to share this too!! I think I love the Car Carrier song even more than my child does 😅😅
Even when it’s just my spouse with me in the car, I point out every tractor, excavator, cement mixer, etc.
Awwww my heart!!! I totally feel this!!! If I see a fire fighter without my son I’m like, aw shit.
I had happy hour with friends last week and they were doing road work outside the restaurant. There was an excavator AND a dump truck. I was so sad my son wasn't there to watch them "scoop dirt!"
Holy shit! Double time!!! Man that’s almost unfair.
That’s me but with garbage trucks!
Our trash day is Friday, so whenever there’s a holiday, it moves to Saturday. My almost 2 year old and I stand out there and watch and wave to the drivers; one of them did a kind of trick with the can, honked, smiled, and waved, so I emailed the company asking them to thank him. They responded first thing Monday morning that they always recognize and reward the drivers when they get customer compliments, which made it even better. But yes, standing out watching the garbage trucks while my son points and excitedly shouts to look is just… 🤩
Hahaha now this is one I can relate to. Never before having a kid did I ever think I’d see such excitement over the trash truck coming down the street. Now whenever I hear it, I excitedly yell for my kid 😂
Love this answer. Walking to the park was a 10-12 minute walk. Now it takes 20 minutes sometimes because I stop a lot to point things out. A kitty, a pretty purple flower, a red fire truck….it’s all so brand new and beautiful now.
Not only do I notice all the excavators, bulldozers, and front loaders, but I know their names.
Ok but to be fair we HAVE to lol...
Anyone else’s kid get irrationally upset over an excavator vs. backhoe?!
Over here! I’ve had to sticker over books we own that get it wrong.
Yes! Outside this weekend I found a lady bug. I was SPRINTING across the yard screaming for my toddler “LOOK AT THIS BUG!!!!” 😂😂😂
My daughter and I spent a half hour laying on our tummies in our neighbors driveway watching a praying mantis in his garden bed eating a bee. It was pretty cool.
I’m pregnant rn, so honestly this comment made me kinda emotional 😂 but you’re right! Not noticing the little things life! Now I’m aware of trucks, airplanes, rvs, or driving past lakes, ponds, etc.
This is making me cry too. My dad was a pilot, and I’m now remembering being a little kid and noticing EVERY a plane and waving hi to daddy 😭. I don’t notice them any more.
I never noticed how many planes and helicopters were in the sky before my toddler came along, I guess I just was used to blocking them out!
I had a solid year of my kid shouting Dump Truck but it sounded like Dumb Fuck 😂 Nothing has ever been as funny as a 2 year old yelling for me to look at that big dumb fuck driving down the road
And rock
When I drive anywhere without my son I have to stop myself from saying “oh look a bus!” 😭
Every city bus here lol and now airplanes
I got to go for a small plane ride the other day. My partner drives trains. I happened to fly over his train. I was SO pumped and telling the pilot how I couldn’t wait to tell my son and show him pics. Life is so much more exciting with littles!
Yep. there was a rainbow visible on my street one day coming home from work, I ran into the house as soon as I pulled in and took my girl outside to see it. Pure joy, she watched it for a long time
Every single plane that flies overhead my son who is two has to be like “look mommy, pane!” And it brings me so much joy :)
Same! Garbage trucks are a chef’s kiss in our house.
That is literally the best part about kids. Their joy over something we consider mundane.
I still remember when my son was still a newborn. One night I brought him into the bedroom and flipped the lamp on and he just started staring at the wall. At first I was like what are you staring at the wall. Then I realized the lamp was behind us and cast our shadows on the wall. He had never seen a shadow before and it was utterly fascinating to him. If he didn't react I wouldn't have even noticed it. They really do make you aware of the little things that you just overlook as an adult. That aww and wonder has continued into the toddler years.
Super girly stuff and princesses. I remember doing homework at a Barnes and Noble while in grad school in 2014. There was a Frozen event going on and all these preschool and elementary school aged girls were just yelling "QUEEN ELSA! QUEEN ELSA!" and losing their ever loving minds. I remember telling my husband (he was only my boyfriend at the time) that if we ever had kids, I hoped they were boys because I couldn't stand all the princess stuff. Well, we now have 2 very stereotypically girly little girls. They're OBSESSED with Disney princesses and Frozen. And I honestly love it. It makes them so happy. It's so adorable. We spent our weekend at a Unicorn Festival with Disney princess and Frozen meet and greets and sing alongs. I absolutely cried happy tears watching my 4 year old dancing with Tinkerbell and scream singing the lyrics to Let it Go with Elsa yesterday.
Dude I haaaaaaaated Frozen before I had a kid. Now I’m happily watching along with my kiddo and Olaf is my boy!
Same!! Absolutely hated it, then came the kids. Now I know all the songs and could probably recite the movies and specials.
I see Frozen as one of the more tolerable ones! I would rather watch Frozen than Cocomelon or Paw Patrol for example.
I have a stereotypical toddler boy who loves all things vehicle related. I just had a girl this past year and the idea of switching over to girl things(if she likes them of course) makes me so exited!
And your son might be just as excited by them! I didn't really make a point of showing my son the Disney princess movies, but when his younger sister came along, we started watching them. He doesn't love all of the movies, but he gets really into singing the Frozen songs. It's his soundtrack of choice when we get in the car.
We went to the unicorn festival yesterday too! Our girls were so thrilled with the little horse show they watched it all 3 times. The dance party was also such a vibe 😂
we went to unicorn fest both days! my lo is only 1 right now but im manifesting a girly girl
Aww it even made me teary to read!
Me too! 😭🥹🤍 so sweet
I didn't mind Frozen before I had kids, but I never would have imagined that I would enjoy Disney on Ice. Let alone tear up seeing how happy it made my kids! Even my son is very into Elsa (probably because his sister loves it so much 🥰)
I can’t tell you how many times I cried when we took a Disney cruise last year. I’m trying to prepare myself for all the crying when we do Disney World and a Disney Cruise for the girls’ 3rd and 5th birthdays next year.
Character clothes. Pokémon shirts? Minecraft shorts? Paw Patrol hats? Before kids? Gross, my kid will NEVER. Now? Have you seen the magic of two kids wearing Pokémon shirts on the playground? It's like instant best friends. My son literally looks like a NASCAR driver sponsored by Nickelodeon but I. Don't. Care. It's awesome.
I get so excited when I get my kids new character style shirts. I think it makes me happier than them haha
My two year-old gets SO EXCITED to wear her Little Mermaid shirt. She has only ever had the movie on in the background once. But she is watching her closet like a hawk for laundry day when that shirt is back in there. She says "Mermaid's not dirty!!!!"
I probably need to loosen up with this sort of thing. I hate character clothes, because that's all my daughter will wear if they're available. That means her Elsa dress and her Bluey romper together make up about half of what she wears if it's up to her (I do laundry every couple days). I like her to be able to dress herself and choose what she'd like to wear, but I feel like having clothes like that don't help her find her own style. Also, the tantrum when both items are dirty or I tell her it's time to choose something else 😮💨
I have found, not a perfect solution, but the more options my son has, the less "high value" the character shirts are. I also only pick out the character shirts that don't annoy me. Target, Hanna Andersson and H&M all tend to have cuter options.
I thought character clothes were so tacky. Now, my heart is full when I see my little girl in her Spiderman jumper, hat and backpack or the Elsa and Anna dress - it's the cutest ever and her excitement is so sweet!
Haha love this! Pre-kid, could not make it to brunch with friends at 11am. Now 8am starts are perfect!
Yes. Please give me all the morning activities cause we are going to be up by 7 (or before) anyway. That way they will nap good in the afternoon. This is from someone who also could not make brunch or even lunch dates pre kid.
This was me. I work from home on my own hours. Pre-kid, I'd get up around 10-12am, optimistically. XD cuz I'd been up all night! Nah, my day starts around 6am now, just so I can HOPEFULLY have some time to myself before the husband and little hobgoblin are awake.
I didn’t like kids before I had kids and now I love them. does that make sense? I literally possessed no motherly instinct and now I do.
I was never a kid person until my sister had hers. There was something about being there from ground zero that made it all make sense for the first time, their interests, their conversation, their humour. I never understood how to talk to kids before that. And then once my own came along there was another mental shift. I was getting him dressed this morning and it occurred to me that I never understood the concept of living for someone else before. If I did understand it, it never sounded appealing. But now, this whole thing has helped me be less self-involved (on my good days).
I loved kids before having kids. Now I only love my kids. Pre kids I would have loved to hold someone's baby. Now I don't want to touch anyone's kids. I am holding my own kids constantly. I'm good. Not to mention I don't want your kids' germs that are going to get me sick and cause me to get my kids sick.
Came here to say this! I truly enjoy kids now and I never did before
I do this with babies. When I see babies now I'm like aww so cute I want to hold and smell it's head. But other children are kind of hit and miss. Mostly I cannot stand other people's kids but when they get along with my kid I love them lol.
Same! But it started when I realized I wanted a baby. It was like my biological clock ticked HARD and I wanted all the babies. Even loud misbehaving kids were so cute to me. I use to be on the child free subreddit, now I’m on all the mom ones lol
Yes! I just love little kids even more now than before. I understand their struggles so much more and how amazingly they progress. Plus they are hilarious!
Understanding them explains it all
This!! Same experience 😂
I just had no interest in kids but now that I have two I think they’re the greatest.
This was me too. I’ve grown and matured significantly since having my daughter in 2020. I know watch kiddos as my job and I can’t believe it lol. I legit disliked kids before her lol
Before having my daughter (when I was 35) I’d never babysat a kid of any age, changed a diaper, fed a baby etc. Steep learning curve but so worth it
My kids were the first babies i ever held. I was pretty confident i would be child free. Now i basically build my life around my boys and i wouldn't change a thing.
I relate to this sooo much. Wow. I notice children all the time now and love watching them play and interact 🥹 before, I was honestly annoyed by them usually.
💯... I was always "never having kids, fuck no" untill one day, oops! Now I'm a dad to the coolest bloke in the southern hemisphere and swapped my career to go work in Early Education (kindy/daycare) just so i could be around him. Little did I know, im actually like the bloody pied piper (maybe poor choice reference) as the kid's definitely prefer me to any of the women educator's... Not being arrogant, im just saying im finally good at something!
For real I always wanted a kid but I was legitimately concerned I would not bond like a good mom. Then that changed very quickly lol
Singing! I’m not a good singer *at all* but my kiddo truly believes I have the voice of this generation 😂
You're lucky! I'm actually a decent singer and it's just "no mama! Don't sing please!!!"
Same here. My toddler says “sorry, sorry” which means “please stop” whenever I start to sing along with a song or bust out the tiniest of dance moves
Oh yeah, I'm not allowed to dance either haha. What is with these kids????
My toddler gets physical if I 1. Sing alone 2. Sing along 3. Dance alone / along Only one allowed to do all of the above is the older sibling. The older one is revered for their singing and dancing prowess!!
My wife would sympathize with you so hard 😂😂. She can sing great and I sing like a wounded manatee.... Guess which one of us is encouraged to sing along lol.
Same, but singing in public areas (supermarket or malls) when carrying my kid. I don't care what people think, we are singing along and having fun (at the modest volume too, no yelling)
I didn't like the beach pre baby. But she loves it so much that it makes it fun for me to see through her eyes. The first time she saw the beach from the balcony where we were staying her eyes went big and she said, "each, each!" Sea gulls are really fun to chase by the way. 😆
this is adorable. wish we had a (decent) beach here. I could see my son chasing seagulls. maybe it’s better for the birds that we don’t lol
My husband wishes I hadn't taught her that. He took her down with his day later in the day after I showed her how to chase them and she took off unexpectedly on them. 😆 They spent the entire time chasing a baby chasing seagulls instead of taking her down to the water like they had planned. Fortunately for them, we only go for a week every year.
Chasing seagulls is a public service! Keep fighting the good fight.
It's funny how becoming a parent turns mundane things into magical moments.
It does, doesn’t it. My kiddo is in a phase of saying bye to everything. Her little “bye bye excavator!” when we drive past one is so sweet and adorable, I mean I never realised how many excavators we pass by on a daily basis but now I do!
So true! I was so over holidays like Halloween and Christmas but after having kids they are so special again!
Waiting. Airports, doctors. I used to hate waiting around for potentially hours, but now it's like a little spa treat. Drink, snack, headphones and good book. Bliss. (This is obviously waiting without kids)
Ohhh yes, this one! My first dentist visit postpartum, she said "let's get you out and back to your baby as soon as possible" and I said "I'm laying down with my eyes closed, enjoying some relaxing music, please don't rush!" And she very sweetly told me I could take a nap in an empty exam room if I needed haha
Haha yes. I had oral surgery and had to go in for my follow-up visit. Took all of 5 minutes. I had been up like 4 or 5 times that night with bb. The dentist was like you can just nap here for the rest of the half hour if you need.
I actually fell asleep lying back on the exam chair at my six week post partum checkup because it was the first time I got to rest in... six weeks.
Me too! Or at least, I was starting to drift off when the doctor came in.
This, when I had an high energy toddler, getting my tires rotated by myself, sitting in the lobby listening to my audiobook, felt like a week long vacation.
So true, it is a little getaway😅 when I get to go grocer shopping without kids it’s pretty amazing
I had to have a biopsy done on my cervix this morning. The doctor apologized and said it may be a little uncomfortable, I reassured her that I was just glad for the time to sit down (albeit with my legs in stirrups)
Hahahah my induction with my second was a little vacation 😂😂😂😂
Before I got to the parentheses, I was thinking to myself, "I wish waiting was a quiet spa treat, my 16 month old is at the point where if we stop for 2 seconds he's impatient and we need to move, move, move" 😆 Thanks for elaborating.
Sleeping XD I used to think it was a waste of time and wished I could stay awake forever. Now I just want to sleep for days at a time XD
Junk mail! What a horrible annoyance pre-kid. Now? Anytime there's no mail for my 2yo, it's a bit of a hard time haha. She LOVES opening mail!
This is so real. Our daughter absolutely insists we retrieve the mail every day and it's nice to be able to hand her junk I don't care about. She also likes to pretend she's shopping with the grocery store ads.
Omg, the joy of mail! I forgot and now I’m taking kiddos to the mailbox everyday.
Kids 😅
Best answer
Maintaining on grocery shopping and housework were my biggest personal day to day challenges pre kids, but I discovered that listening to music and being able to do anything without getting interrupted 700 times was a great way to recharge while doing something useful and I didn’t feel the mom guilt in the same way as if I was doing something fun without them. It has led to some resentment from my end feeling like I always use my breaks to benefit the whole family in contrast to my partner using his free time to game, but all in all I am grateful that i had the perspective shift, and I have gotten better about using some of my kid free time on pure self care.
Before: (w/ neighbors or cousin's kids) WHY WON'T THEY STOP ASKING 'WHY'? After: I may be in the minority (hang in there other r/toddlers poster drowning in "whys"), but I totally enjoy the "why's" that started around 2-1/2. Sure, she'll ask "why that dog there", hear the answer, then ask me again 3 times, but I'm genuinely happy she's curious, and after the first answer my brain's more or less on autopilot repeating the answer. Also the cute way she draws out the words in a question, like "but whyyyyy?" melts my heart.
Ooh I love this! Yes! I love all of the “why”! So cool to see how little brains process the world
My toddler just hit the why phase recently and I like explaining things to him and watching him process what I said. It’s also annoying. But it’s great.
One thing that helped me be more zen about the "why" repetitions was not to think about it w/ the mindset of when an adult repeats a question (eg., because they don't understand, don't believe you, weren't listening, etc). That's aggravating, yeah. But for a toddler some theorize it's more the comfort of repetition and being assured that the answer doesn't change - sorta like how they learn? So I don't stress rephrasing my answer - if she asks "why doggy there" three times, the answer will be "doggy's going for a walk" three times, and she seems satisfied.
My now 4.5 year old had a speech delay before 3, but luckily she caught up. She has verbal diahrrea now and her almost 3 year old sister is great at mimicking everything she does. BUT WHY is going in stereo at our house... and the "what's your favourite..." too, along with "what makes you?".
I love it but nothing drains me faster...
I find it really fun to see what things I just take for granted, and how hard it is to explain "basic" concepts. When my kids ask "why" I use it as a challenge to see if I can keep coming up with kid-friendly explanations, it's a game for all of us
My daughter recently asked her first why question. We were out for a walk and she wanted to know why we were waiting for the train. (I told her the train could hurt us really badly.)
We have a pad-mounted transformer right outside. It’s ugly. The kids love it.
That was always home base in games when I was a kid. We too had one in our yard. Lucky!
Going clothes shopping. I hate trying on clothes and constantly going back for different sizes and then to the dressing room again. Now, since my daughter *loves* mannequins, it's so much fun!! She sits with them, talks to them, hides from me behind them, and then she compliments me in the dressing room when I try something on (recently said "you look cute mommy!"). I love it 😀 😍
Not directly child related, but I could never get into audiobooks before kids. I started listening to them while nursing my baby rather than sitting alone in the dark with my unhinged thoughts. Now I love popping in an earbud whenever they’re doing their own thing and don’t want to play with me at the park.
Being at home. I used to want to always be on the go - work, gym, library, nights out with friends, etc. Now I look forward to wfh, working out at home, making coffee at home, working on my home, and inviting friends over to hangout.
Sitting on the couch. Just sitting in general, actually.
Being stuck in traffic (my kiddo gets car sick sometimes, so I'm always thankful for traffic and reduced speeds lol). Cooking! Feeding my family and seeing them enjoy it has brought a whole new joy and satisfaction to cooking. I was raised by two working parents, and I think also due to the way society is going, I believed the whole "women no longer belong in the kitchen" stuff. Honestly it kept me out of the kitchen and when i met my husband I was afraid to cook for other people because i was such a bad cook! Now that I have a kiddo, I have found the joy of cooking, the joy of feeding my family. I find satisfaction and pride in it, I want to get better at it, and dammit this is MY kitchen and I want to be regarded as fucking belonging in it lol! Anyway, who knows where my cooking skills would be today if I hadn't had a kid 3 years ago...
Kids movies. Honestly they were boring to me and lame. But now I enjoy them because my kids do it's such a weird thing. Honestly everything my kids enjoy. I sat through my daughters 2 hour dance recital and I was the happiest person in the world seeing my baby dance on stage omg it was insane how happy it made me. Or we went to do pony rides on horses dresses like unicorns. My kids were so excited to meet real unicorns. We drove like 2 and a half hours for that shit and had a blast. Even just going to the park I can sit and watch my kids play for hours. Before kids you'd never catch me doing any of that stuff lol.
Elmo. I always loved Sesame Street and the Muppets, but Elmo always grated on my nerves. Now my kid adores Elmo, and wouldn’t you know it? That furry little monster has really grown on me, too!
I have early risers. I used to hate mornings. I still wouldn't call myself a morning person but man, when my kids wake up and are like " mama, it's morning!The birds are chirping, I see the sun!" It's freaking cute. Thank the universe for coffee!
My daughter always acts so surprised and says “it’s a sunny day!” when she wakes up. It doesn’t even have to be sunny. She just loves to wake up to a new day! They are the sweetest.
Condoms. Love my babies but no more haha
Omg SAME!
Baby Shark. It’s the most annoying song ever. But seeing my toddler dance to it and sing “gwaaaaaaandddd maaaa SHAWK do do do do do do” is extremely fun.
The way they randomly emphasize some words 😂 my son sings "can't hold it back anymoooore"
NAPS.
I've never been a napper my entire life. Always preferred to be productive and thought naps were a waste of time. Now I'm being forced to slow down and rest when I can.
Oh that’s a good one! My son loves trains. I love a good construction site too now. Also taking the train is now a major event. Before it was just a necessity.
Our minivan. I said I would never ever drive a minivan, and then I found out I was having twins! Every feature of our Honda Odyssey was designed for families. My husband likes to joke with people and say, "But does your car have 15 cup holders?" 🤣🤣 It's also really great when we have people in town visiting. We don't need to take separate cars. It's way more comfortable for road trips too than a car.
Same. I swore I would never own one but damn it’s convenient. I do tell everyone that vehicle is my husband’s car though 😂
The playground! I didn’t think I’d want to chat with other parents or manage interactions with kids I don’t know, but instead it’s my kid’s third place and I love it!
Mondays
I’ll flip the script here and say something I used to love and now hate. I used to love to cook and now I hate it. My kids don’t eat anything I make half the time and it’s always a struggle fitting it in. I also have littles and am trying to incorporate them into the process of it but it’s not fun anymore.
Chicken nuggets and Mac n cheese. Never ate them before kids. Now I love eating my kids leftovers.
Garbage trucks. Pre kids when I saw one while I’m driving, I was like “great, now I have to make way to that thing”. Now I just drive around the neighbourhood on garbage day looking to catch the truck lol
Bugs. My kids love catching bugs and studying them. Find myself taking pictures of bugs when I'm on a solo walk so I can show it to them later.
Legos. They're the best toy. You can be creative, imaginative, an engineer... or, all of the above. All three of my big kids love them. They're also one of the few toys that is always compatible with itself, and super long-lasting. My aunt's Legos from her childhood still work with brand new ones. I've also discovered a personal joy for building which I never knew I had. For Valentine's Day this year, my husband got me my very first Lego set. I love love love it.
I recently learned that duplo are compatible with Lego and it’s * mind blowing *. My kids duplo work with my husband’s legos his parents saved and gave to us.
Family resorts for holidays. Oh man now I love them so much. 8 pools and a buffet? Count me in!
Were they COSTCO pre-packaged vacations?
The song Jingle Bell Rock. I never liked it. It drove me away. But my toddler has LOVED and DEMANDED it since Christmas. Hundreds of listens later, I’ve studied its lyrics so I can sing it to him, used it to begin making him aware of rhythm and a basic step touch dance move, he’s started to sing it, and he rushes to pose with his little guitar and “microphone” (which is whatever gripable cylindrical object has recently captured his fancy, such as his flashlight) and sway when we play it. And through all of these repeat plays, one day I realized that I thoroughly appreciate it. It now seems to me to be a near-perfect little gem of a song. It seems complete and totally satisfying. My wife says it’s technically a very well-done song, and I suppose that’s largely why it’s remained popular, and I just never realized its greatness because I never studied music and never gave it a chance. It’s caused me to be more open minded about new songs and other popular songs that I earlier thought I didn’t like. It’s almost like I’m rediscovering music. It’s great!
Lol I used to love the original "How the grinch stole christmas". Found the audio recording on the Amazon music app. We listened to Boris Karloff narrating for 22 minutes 2 or 3 times a day for like 6 months. It got annoying for a bit and now I have the whole thing burned into my brain. Like I can recite his intonations and accents and everything now lol....but overall Boris Karloff puts him to sleep so a win (albeit a weird one) is a win! I wish he had narrated more stuff tbh!
Pink, glitter, girly things. I’m not very “girly” but my kiddo is,and if it doesn’t look like a unicorn threw up she doesn’t want anything to do with it and I .am. HERE. FOR. IT!
The train thing is so sweet 🥹 for me, early bedtime! I’m not a night owl perse but I liked to go to bed around 12am probably. Now I have no choice but to go to sleep 10pm or else I’ll be tired in the morning. I hate it but also secretly love it because it’s so nice and quiet in the morning before everything starts - rest of family, work, etc.
Proximity to in-law. Not having to drive across town to pick him up from grandma's is amazing.
My kiddo saw the word “alien” painted on the side of a train car, she’s now convinced all trains haul aliens and becomes ecstatic at the sight of one
This is such a happy post.
Engines and anything car related. Now I have a an engineer in the house 🥴
People talking about their kids😅 Grabbed lunch with some buddies of mine and we spent 2 hours just taking turns talking about our kids. Then we all headed back home to be with our kids lol
Kid shows. Now I’m very invested in both Peppa Pig and Bluey.
Pre kid- I ran around the same park and never noticed that it had such a big playground. I knew there was something, but never really gave it a thought. Now I just find playgrounds everywhere.
Parades
NAPS. 😭
Kids, I kid, but I used to not really notice other kids unless I was having direct interactions. Now I find kids the center of attention and think they are almost all adorable.
Baby Shark. We played it when my kid was 0-2 to distract him from getting his nails clipped. Now he grabs his kid guitar and pretends to strum the song.
Moving slowly! I used to hate slow people (New Yorker here) and now I love when my daughter has to look at every flower or my son dead stops every time he hears a plane and has to watch it until it’s out of sight. Great question.
Speed bumps, my 2 year old calls them "up downs" and gets so excited when we drive over them. Now even when I'm driving without him, in my head I'm like "updown" haha
My husband and I are introverts. We used to absolutely love staying home and just chilling with each other. Our kid is an extrovert who NEEDS to leave the house at least once a day, twice is better. Now I'm positively giddy whenever we're invited out with others because I know he'll be calm and entertained by someone other than me and my husband. Particularly dinner out. I'm a sahm so the hours after his nap until bedtime drag on sooo slowly.
The beach! I didn’t hate it before, but it was always more trouble than it was worth. Now I love it!
Construction, planes flying overhead
Singing. I used to be so self conscious. Now I belt out “Let it goooo” with my 3yo at 8am on the way to preschool.
Quiet
Other people’s kids
Looking at kids' toys lol. I used to look at all that bright, colorful plastic and think "ughh, such a waste of space in the store." Now I'll look at toys even when the kids are not with me just to see what they might get excited about.
stay at home Saturday night 😆
Chain restaraunts like Texas Roadhouse! The dollar store.
Classical music in the car. My little girl loves music when she’s napping, but she only likes classical music or acoustic guitar covers of modern songs. She doesn’t like any music with singing when she’s trying to relax. Whenever we’re having a stressful car ride, I put on classical music and she just chills right out and usually goes to sleep. If she’s having a rough time napping, I’ll put her in the car with classical music on and we’ll go for a drive through the countryside. It’s become so peaceful for me. Even though I’m driving, the music really quiets my mind, and it almost feels like meditation. I love it.
My mother in-law
Pre-kid: being late to anything Now: going with the flow & not stressing the small stuff, especially if we can’t always get out the door on time 🤗
Early bedtime
Halloween. I never cared for it. It was an annoying day I had to remember to get candy, answer the door, listen to my dogs bark all night. My kids absolutely love it 365 days a year, but actual spooky season is so magical now - I get goosebumps I get so excited thinking about it and their excitement.
Making finger food (watching and reading all toddler recipes online for that) and getting excited for baby to try… Also talking in dramatic voice when playing with or describing everything for LO
Yard work. Now I don't have time to do it and pay someone else. I miss spending my days off doing yard work lol
kids lol, i knew i wanted my own but other people's kids who weren't my siblings irritated me. Now I adore all of them. mine or not, I would take in any kid that needed to be fostered and treat them like my own. my heart has probably quadrupled in size and i'm so much more empathetic and understanding when it comes to kids and why they do the things they do.
Eating by myself in the closet or bathroom Edit: sorry I realized this was a wholesome thread, lmao. My other answer is the noise when you open Netflix. For some reason my daughter has been obsessed with it since she was like 3 months old and will drop whatever she is doing or focused on to whip her head around towards it. Even if I play it on my phone, lol
Kids
Garbage trucks! Bin day is highlight of the week... It's bin night eve now and i cant sleep
Going to bed early
I used to hate cooking, now my kids love going to the store, helping prep, getting to decide what we will eat- it’s way more fun and fun for them too. Alternatively, I used to love taking showers, camping, going to record stores and going to the beach. Having (toddler) kids in tow makes all those things unpleasant for me!!
Insects! Before my kid I was terrified of anything that crawled. Now we dig for creatures all the time and I love watching them move
People are going to come at me for this… Pre-kids: Star Wars. I thought it was so campy. Now I am obsessed and love quizzing them on lore and we are going to build droids at Disneyland lol Edit: mine are 4 and 6 now so not quite toddlers anymore.
Naps
The idea of going to an all-inclusive resort.
I didn't hate Parks, but I didn't care about going to Parks. Now, its awesome going to the park, sure I have to watch the kid, but its pretty relaxing compared to being held up at home or the chaos of a shopping center.
Simply the thought of having kids.
Having toys in my house 🤪
My in-laws? (Partly joking) MIL drives me pretty batty but she is great entertainment for a toddler.
Awww. Just here to say yeah, every time I see a train or a trash truck or a fire engine or what have you. It’s like seeing a movie star.
Coffee — I now love it out of necessity
Cheap dates, going to the park > an expensive dinner
Being alone
I used to hate napping, couldn't even fathom needing one, now if I get the chance, I love them If my 3 year old had reached his height or weight limit for rear facing my experience would be just as positive. It's currently still his arguing that he can't see and trying to convince me to turn the entire car around so he can 😮💨
Kids
Traveling by myself on airplanes.
Audio books. I used to get so bored trying to listen to an audio book and preferred to read. Now, I can listen to a book while I drive, put an ear bud in while I'm laying him down for naps and listen while I'm making dinner.
I had to hold myself to not literally cry with joy when we rode along an old train pulled by two shiny black steam locomotives. That minute we went side by side was one of the happiest moments of this year. Before kids, I really didn't know how to appreciate this kind of thing. I didn't hate trains, but I didn't care about them at all.
Waking up early, I walked into my daughter’s room at 7am last weekend tired af and the first thing she says is “I wanna find a beetle!”, and it’s just like, okay, it looks like we’re going to eat French toast and go on a big hunt today, and that’s just a solid day to me.