Today’s post is something a little bit different. It’s a guest post from one of my childhood friends, Amy. I’ve known Amy for 25 years or so, but it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other – we totally need to sort that out! Amy isn’t a blogger, but she’s a mum of beautiful twin girls and a nurse to boot. I’m in awe of her completely – first of all, she copes with toddler twins (one toddler is hard enough work!) and secondly doing a job that I think is pretty amazing and doesn’t always get the recognition that it deserves. Amy’s also a pretty damn good writer as well, so I’m honoured that she wanted to write for my blog!

When Are We Ready?

I’m Amy, I’m 30 and have two-year-old twins. I work as a nurse in the evening and look after the twins in the day.  This post comes following seeing my sister in law at a family gathering at the weekend. She’s recently had a baby boy and I was watching her run around with milky bottles and muslin squares.

So, my question is, when are we, as parents ready?

When are we ready make the decision to have a baby? All the planning and preparation.

When are we ready for the excitement of a new arrival – the burping, feeding, crying and changing? When are we ready to fall in love with something that caused so much pain and for the endless tiredness? As a new mom, I don’t remember feeling tired too much, despite having two babies to care for. Watching my sister in law, it reminded me of the twins being born. She was full of energy and promise for caring for this little boy. The twins are now very independent, strong-willed little things, and don’t need their mommy so much these days. How does your body know to kick in get you through this milky haze of the first year? When does it end? I don’t have that energy anymore. When does the energy cut off?

So, as I watch them grow so very fast and time flies by at a rate of knots, I wonder when we’re ready for them to become little real people, to make their own choices and have their own opinions. How do we prepare for that?

When are we ready for them to have their own little friends and time without us? How can they ever not need us?

When are we ready for them to head to school? I know it is when they’re 4 or 5, but when would we be truly ready? I can tell you that at two years old, one of my girls is fully ready to be off and out at school every day, whereas her sister would gladly have me carry her around all day every day.

Will we as parents ever be ready for all this?  It happens before our very eyes and so very fast.

I don’t think we can ever prepare for such fascination, love and endless tiredness. Will we ever be ready to do it all again?