Quote:
Originally Posted by OMG!WTF!
What is it exactly that kidless people can't understand about parenting?
|
The experience of what's it's like being responsible for an immature human being 24/7. The realization that they're autonomous and unpredictable and they're all different. The sheer fatigue of the whole endeavour.
I thought I had it all figured out before I became a parent. I knew what parents should do and what the shouldn't do. I knew exactly what I was going to do, and what would mean for my kids. You just have to use your head, right? Of course it was all nonsense. Parents have far, far less control over kids than I thought. They behave in ways you can't possibly anticipate, and they're not the pavlovian behaviour units that can be shaped with positive and negative reinforcement. And most importantly, knowing how you should do something and having the 24/7 discipline, consistency, and energy to do it are two entirely different things.
I'm sure we all know how we are supposed to be as spouses/partners, right? An unquestioning source of strength and support. Ready to be empathetic and compassionate whenever necessary. Attentive. Considerate. Flexible. But how many people are really like that in a relationship? Consistently? Precious few.
Parenting is like that. Only harder, because children aren't fully developed humans yet. Really, there's nothing in this world that is so different in theory and in practice than raising children. If you've never done it, you don't really have any credibility on the subject at all.