Children Are Beautiful... They're Also Really Annoying

As a parent, we all have a mutual love and loathe of our children, as much as they’re lovely and often quite the model children. They can also be really annoying, which you might not always want to admit to yourself but is inevitably true. If you speak to any parent with a child over the age of 3, they’ll tell you this. New-borns aren’t really the problem so when you’re new at parenting you think everything is fine and dandy – that’s until they can walk and ‘everything is fine’ phase flies right out the window. You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’re a wise parent yourself, if you’re still in the ‘fine’ stage then I wish you good luck.

For all my lovely mummies and daddies out there I thought it was only appropriate to have a little go at writing a post about why children are, despite beautiful, really annoying. Don’t get me wrong, as a loving and caring parent, I wouldn’t change my children for the world and I don’t know anyone else who would. It’s just about finding the funny side to every situation – no matter how covered in sticky fingers you are.

Ohhh, you want to have a cup of tea whilst it’s still warm? You might want to rethink your idea of parenthood if you want anything still warm, whether that’s food or drinks. I’d be surprised if you have a minute alone without your children before 8/9pm on a school night because, in my house, I am always wanted. Some days it’s to tie shoelaces whilst other days it’s to go fetch a ladder out the shed because one of my children is stuck in a tree. Haven’t been there yet? You’ve got it all to come. Although my kids are amazing and I love them with all my heart, bedtime is one of my favourite times of the day because it means I can sit down and enjoy a lovely warm drink and watch some TV, I’d never get that during the day.

You might find yourself repeating things 5 or more times (which can make you go insane so be careful here!) especially when they definitely don’t want to do something. It’s always best to stay calm and remember that they’ll grow out of it (at maybe, age 20?) Don’t get angry though, you’re not alone in trying to make children listen, every parent does it. Just take your time and one day they’ll start to listen a little bit more.

Possibly the worst thing about small children is the noises they make, I’m not talking about newborn gurgles that are super cute. I’m talking whining and moaning to get their own way. I’m also talking screaming and shouting when they want something they can’t have. Sometimes you can’t even stop it because there is literally nothing you can do, these are the worst types of situations. The only advice I could give to you is to get a good pair of ear muffs for the winter, that way when they do start to kick off you can just put them on and the noise will slowly fade away. Don’t get me wrong, if they start attacking you because you’re not listening the earmuffs can’t stop this, so either way you’re just going to have to live with it really. During times like these, remind yourself the reason you had kids in the first place… Oh wait, can’t remember? Me neither!

Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or even just a simple snack. Children will find a way to make everything messy. You can try your ultimate best to stop it, believe me – I’ve tried. It’s inevitable that they will be absolutely filthy all the time. It might be in your house – if you’re lucky, or it could be in the middle of a park when they’ve decided they don’t want the rest of their ice cream and it’s all dripping down everywhere and you have no wipes – parenting is great.

Seriously though, despite having to deal with children through the learning process in life, parenting is one of the most rewarding things you can do. You’ll forget all about the sticky fingers and their screaming when you’re sat at their graduation. You’ll just be glad you dealt with it. At the end of the day, parenting isn’t for everyone and sometimes you might debate why you even had them at all, but I bet you wouldn’t change everything for the world. I know I wouldn’t.

Have you got any funny stories from when your children did something? Or even stories that make you proud to be a parent? Share your experiences in the comments below!