I Don't Like Babies

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

02 Aug 2006 11:30 AM

Okay, hold on to your hats moms and dads. I read this article this morning entitled "bored mom sparks outrage." Apparently, an American expatriate in Great Britain wrote an editorial on how boring she found being a mother. Now, before you string me up for saying I understood what she was talking about - most moms do. It just sounds horrible for us to say we find mom hood boring.

My husband's grandmother, a mother of eight children herself, did not like babies. She liked toddlers. She loved children - but she didn't like babies. A friend of mine loves babies, all babies, no matter their temperament - she adores them, but she's not very fond of small children. She likes them again when they are teenagers and she can relate to them better.

Being a Mom is Work

When you're a mom, there are a lot of things you have to do that are not going to fall into the category of fun. For example, changing dirty diapers, cleaning up spit up, comforting a cranky fidget that will not go to sleep and getting up at all hours of the night.

None of these activities are 'enjoyable.' It does not make you a bad mother to say you don't care for them. I remember when my baby was about six months old and if she wasn't teething she had gas, if she didn't have gas, she was wanting something new to do and nothing I did seemed to really satisfy her.

Now, bear in mind - she was typically a very happy baby but just before we went through a growth spurt - she became an absolute bear. These were the times I remember philosophically stating I understood why some animals eat their young.

Not liking a stage doesn't make you a bad parent

My husband doesn't care for newborns in particular. In fact, he is very uncomfortable with them. That doesn't mean he doesn't like babies as they get older and more interactive. So here's a thought, before getting bent that a mom says being a mom is boring - note what she is referring to. There's a lot of boring hurry up and waiting you do as a mom - and there are plenty of times when I miss the intellectual stimulation of conversation that's aren't punctuated by drool and teething cries - still - being a mom might be boring and even when I agree - I still wouldn't trade it away - not even for a do over.

Do you find being a mom boring sometimes?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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Valorie Delp (49340) 02 Aug 2006 02:10 PM

I sooooooo don't like little kids. People laugh when I say this but I much prefer middle schoolers. Of course I like my own kids and my husband is an absolute genius when it comes to little kids. That's what he does for a living--teaches 3-5 year old sports. He left a job teaching middle schoolers!

Jaime Egan (2178) 02 Aug 2006 03:31 PM

I definitely don't find being a mom boring. HOWEVER, I know that my daughter is just exploring, but I get frustrated when she reaches for a DVD and as I go to put it in the player she says, "Uh...no," and grabs another. This game can go on for a good fifteen minutes until she has chosen every DVD in her collection and STILL won't decide. Humph!!

dpenna (542) 02 Aug 2006 04:49 PM

Wow! I need to send this to my friend. She is 29 and having her tubes tied next week because she said she does not like babies and doesn't want to ever do the "mommy" thing again. (She has a 2 year old autistic boy.) I thought she was crazy at first, but now I see where she is coming from. It's weird, because we always pegged her for being a 'baby machine.' Some people just surprise you, I guess!

mommytotwo (526) 05 Aug 2006 12:45 PM

This is great! I am glad that is finally starting to be put out there that not every mom loves every stage of childhood. I love my boys, love them! However, I do not love the newborn stage when they are up every two hours, when you are so exhausted you just want to cry, when your boobs leak at every sound from your child. None of that appeals to me. I have been through it twice and we are done. My husband feels the same way. I loved my boys as babies, I loved snuggling up with that warm baby on me, but I didn't love the exhaustion that went with it. Let's face it, motherhood isn't always easy, and sometimes there are things you just aren't going to enjoy. I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I totally understand where some women are coming from when they say it sometimes kind of stinks!