A Tale of Two Lies: Mums v Chappell Roan
Raising tiny humans is no joke. You’re a full-time feeder, cleaner, therapist, rule-enforcer, and snack-fetcher all at once. And that’s just Tuesday.
When you have kids young like I did (which is, in fact what Chappell Roan was saying, referring to people her age - 27), the intensity hits differently. Shoutout to all the 20-something mums navigating motherhood while their mates are out brunching away their big nights child-free.
The early years? They’re exhausting.
You can’t sugarcoat it. That zombie phase when you’re surviving on three hours of broken sleep and caffeine fumes? It’s real, and it sucks. And it sucks even more when the commonly held belief is that we, as mums, should be grateful and overcome with love and wonder. There was a bit of that but honestly, for me that came later.
Chappell called out one lie, but there's another one
So here's where I raise my hand and add my two cents to the mums-heaping-s^&t-on-Chappell conversation. She called out one lie (motherhood is wonderful and we should all be happy and grateful) but there's another one. The "you think this is bad, just wait until they’re teenagers" schtick. That one.
For me (and I know everyone’s got their own story), the teen years? They don’t suck.
Don’t get me wrong, there are moments when navigating teenagerhood is like fumbling in the dark.Friend dramas? Yup. Hormone storms? Absolutely. But guess what? It’s also the most rewarding stage yet. Seeing the person you raised blossom into their independence is genuinely awe-inspiring. When your daughter texts you the meme that made her laugh out loud or when she nails her first casual job interview? Gold. Pure gold. Teenage years mean real conversations, shared Spotify playlists, and, dare I say it, a deeper friendship brewing. |
|
Sure, the snuggles are fewer (RIP toddler bear hugs).
But the teen years make the chaos and exhaustion of the early years worth it. I wouldn’t trade those zombie nights spent rocking colicky cries for anything because they led me to this stage. The one where my kid has grown into someone I genuinely like hanging out with.
It’s easy to dwell on the struggles of parenthood. But I say this to every aspiring mum who might feel affronted by Chappell's statement: the early phase is just that, a phase.
Each stage of parenting comes with its own mess, beauty, and magic. And while parenting is never a walk in the park, the phases you think will break you just might lead you to the stages you value most.
Teens don’t always mean tantrums. Sometimes, they mean growth—for them and for you.
