I adore my kids, I really do. I wouldn’t be without them for the world. But that doesn’t stop me occasionally missing my life from before they turned it completely upside down. Here are some of the things I took for granted in my life before children:

Sleep

I can count on one hand the number of full nights sleep I have had since Harrison was born. Even on the very rare nights that they all sleep through, I wake up because I am so used to it. I used to be a deep sleeper – I could sleep through anything. Now, I can wake up at the slightest cough or murmur. We are really lucky none of the boys have ever been particularly early wakers – 7am is the norm but they have been known to sleep in until 9am sometimes. For that I am eternally grateful, but gone are the 10am Sunday lie in’s for a few years!

Speed

In LBC, if I wanted to go out, I could just grab my handbag, jump in the car and be off. Now, I have to get three sets of shoes and coats on, make sure I have bottles, drinks, snacks, toys, nappies, baby wipes and the kitchen sink. Then it’s get them to the car, which is usually half way down the road and strap them into various car seats. A ten minute walk to the shops takes anything up to an hour.

Inappropriate Music

I love rap and hip-hop music. The problem is about 85% of is it totally inappropriate to listen to around kids because of the bad language or content. I’m not particularly precious about the children listening to something like ‘Gangnam Style’ (their favourite song!) – someone I know won’t let their children listen to it because it has the word ‘sexy’ in, but I certainly won’t listen to Eminem or the like around them. I also miss being able to absolutely blast music when in the car!

Being able to go to the toilet or shower in peace

I know everyone says this, but it is so true. I usually have an audience when doing either. If I lock the door, I have banging and whinging. The odd time I think I about having a nice relaxing bath all I hear is ‘muuuuuuum’. I also miss having baths where I don’t have to share them with various boats and other toys.

Being able to drink

I’m not a huge drinker, but I do like the odd heavy night here and there. Well, I did. I have been hungover twice since being a parent, and that was HELL. I’m pretty sure they know you feel like death so play up even more than usual. It is so not worth it anymore!

What do you miss most about life before children?