Parenthood is both difficult and fun – there are trying moments that can test our limits, and there are times where we couldn’t see ourselves doing anything else.Then, there are the times that are just so crazy, that we have no choice but to find the humor in it! On this edition of #momlife, we feature Paola, from www.theelephantmum.com. Paola provides some relatable material in her “5 Most Tragicomic Moments of Parenting”:

Being a mother is some sort of ecstatic experience where you have the chance to build the tomorrow’s generation and witness a human being grow in every aspect:  physically, mentally and ethically.Not for me. I feel being a mom is the most shocking experience that  I have ever lived through. It’s not all bad, not at all, but it feels like a rollercoaster carrying me and my husband towards experiencing feelings and emotions we could have never expected. The good moments are harder to describe, as they involve profound and personal feelings. How do you paint how it feels when your baby says their first word? Or when they say an everyday sentence finally right? The moments of despair, on the other hand, are much more relatable. Many are stories that I laugh about now, but I was definitely not in a laughing mood at the time. That’s where I am taking you today.

1. The cute dress

My husband and I had been invited to a wedding, when our first born was only two months old. We decided to dress her up in a princess-like dress and white tights for the occasion. I had to act as a bridesmaid. My husband was standing on the back of the church, baby in hand and ready to disappear in case she’d become fussy. He describes not hearing a sound, but feeling his hand becoming warm. If you are now hoping it was pee, I am going to disappoint you. While the white tights changed their colour, he rushed outside, trying to hold the baby while not getting anything on his elegant suit. He had to change a “difficult nappy” in the back seat of my father’s car, scared to drop something on his in-law’s beloved car. He succeeded, but the baby spent the reception in the only non-flattering change of clothes we had with us. Clearly, no one saw her in her dress during the ceremony.

2. That’s not how I like my broccoli

Babies are cute and a lot of fun, right? That’s what I thought when, lying on the bed, I started playing with my baby girl, making her fly away and close from my face. She was laughing. She happened to be in her first days of weaning and just had broccoli puree. She liked it so much she wanted to share, so she vomited some in my face. In my open mouth. Since the alternative was to choke, I even had to swallow. Oh, how we bonded on that day.

3. Glamorous life

Another one from the baby era. Off on a family trip, we decide to treat ourselves to a restaurant. We were having a lovely time, when I  met my daughter’s eyes; she clearly has her “poo face” on. Changing a baby in a stranger place always presents a challenge, even more when the restaurant’s toilet has no surface to lean on. There I am, attempting a nappy change while standing (I challenge you, MacGyver), when a ball of you-can-imagine-what falls on the floor. I remember standing there, kicking baby on one hand, diaper in the other, no place to put any of the two, watching the dump on the floor, and having no plan.

4. A woman with a career

I wish this happened only once, but I recall something like this on at least three occasions. I have found myself more than once with a shirt stained of food or snot while in work events or meetings. My kids had used me as a napkin or a tissue, me being too sleep deprived to even notice. Imagine me, trying to appear confident and professional, to later notice an impossible to hide stain in my shirt. Usually the realization came in the middle of the event, so that I could not avoid thinking about it until the end.

5. Smelly surprise

The abuse is not over. If you thought nothing could beat the broccoli incident, think again. My toddler son has made a habit to fart onto me on purpose. He purposely turns to release his killer gas on me. I usually manage to dodge the bullet, except that one time when, after showering, he was standing on top of the washing machine so that I could dry him with a towel. His bum was right at my face’s height. And I wasn’t fast enough. I recall thinking “I have three science degrees and this is where I ended up”.

I laugh about all these nowadays. It is surprising what we can bear done by our children and still love them from here to the moon. My kids have taught me what’s really important in life and to laugh out of these disgusting and embarrassing moments. Even though I have been vomited, pooed and peed on, I cannot imagine being deprived of the joy of being their mom.

About the author

Paola is the mother of two toddlers through birth and international adoption. Born and raised in Italy, she now lives in Finland with her family. During the day she works in IT and during the night she blogs about her multicultural family at The Elephant Mum. Find her also on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.