<p>I’ll start. </p>
<p>Diapers, of course. Not just changing them, but buying them and making sure we always had enough. Sticking a few in the glove compartment of the car, in my purse, in the stroller.</p>
<p>Tantrums. Even though I had my reaction down pat, they were still extremely stressful to me because I couldn’t make my kid happy. Very stressful.</p>
<p>This is good timing for me because I am missing my kids like crazy. Remembering some of the less romantic parts of parenting might be good for my mood!</p>
<p>Let’s see. </p>
<p>Okay, don’t miss putting snowsuits, boots and mittens on (well, maybe a tine bit, I do). </p>
<p>Don’t miss the after school schedule that seemed to be designed with ten minute intervals of dead time between pick-ups and drop-offs so you could never seem to streamline it. </p>
<p>Don’t miss checking in about homework, nagging about projects and last minute requests for poster board.</p>
<p>Waking up every morning with D1 at 5:30am. She was an early bird. </p>
<p>We loved to travel, and we took our kids as young as 3 months on trips with us. It used to stress me out a bit taking them on the plane.</p>
<p>I used to get very anxious when they got sick. We were lucky that it didn’t happen too happen.</p>
<p>I miss everything else about them when they were little.</p>
<p>When my boys used to come in for dinner after playing outside for hours, my husband and I used to check the back yard to see if there was any dirt left in it, they would be so filthy. I had never realized that skin could get grass stains. I hated having to clean the tub after bath time every night.</p>
<p>Oh, the last minute poster board emergencies- always when I was too pooped to go off to the cheaper store and the closest place never had the right size. I finally trained them that they had to ask about that and bake sale things and whatever, two nights before. They used to come to me and say, “but we followed the rule, it’s not due tomorrow.”</p>
<p>What I often realize I am glad to be done with is getting them to school and picking them up every single day. At various points, it was driving, bus, or walking. Luckily, DH and I could split the task. (I was more sentimental about the first day, in Sept.)</p>
<p>The constant stream of things to do (laundry, feeding, shopping, cleaning) and the lack of time to myself. Including never going to the bathroom alone. I mean the door might have been closed, but the chatter on the other side went on. </p>
<p>Also playing Barbies & Hi Ho Cherry O. </p>
<p>I don’t miss very much from when the girls were little except for their hugs, snuggles & kisses, and they way they smelled after a bath :)</p>
<p>Once they got to about 3, things looked up.</p>
<p>The amount of times I had to deal with baby/child vomit. It seemed endless. </p>
<p>You think I am kidding. I am not.</p>
<p>I like a picked up house. I don’t miss the toys everywhere. I don’t miss the stress of school or feeling more obligated to have dinner cooked. #3 is a junior and I cook a <em>whole</em> lot less often with 1 kid at home instead of 3.</p>
<p>Poop and puke and noise. :)</p>
<p>The day when I knew that I really, truly was an adult was when I realized that if somebody barfed in the middle of the night, I was the one who had to clean it up.</p>
<p>I don’t miss that moment or the experience that prompted it.</p>
<p>The missing Lego piece that somehow, someway, I stepped on at 3 am.</p>
<p>I don’t miss never being able to just pop up and leave anywhere. When leaving home there was always packing gear, diaper bag, stroller, spare clothes, snacks, bottles…</p>
<p>Then as they were a little older leaving where ever we were. 10 minute warning, do you have everything you brought with you, did you help clean up (fair of course).</p>
<p>I remember the first time hubby and I went away alone after having our first. We were leaving for dinner from our hotel room. We decided we were ready to go. We kind of looked at each other and were like, ok lets go and we got up and went. It was such an odd feeling not to have to do anything, especially for anyone else, in order to leave.</p>
<p>Candyland and Barney.</p>
<p>That horrible feeling of constant fatigue – both from not enough sleep, and from always carrying something or someone that was too heavy for my frame.</p>
<p>Siblings fighting - the worst!</p>
<p>Going to the beach or pool and never being able to swim because I couldn’t take my eyes off my kids even for a second.</p>
<p>Putting sleeping toddlers in carseats. Hurting my back taking them out, because they were still asleep! Then, five seconds after pulling them out, the kid is wide awake.</p>
<p>Having to always pack drinks and snacks for every outing, because heaven forbid the kids should experience a pang of hunger. My daughters were not good about being hungry or thirsty when out. I am not a fan of packing school lunches either, but only have to pack for one student now instead of three. Buying is a little too expensive for us. Still, on occasion when I sent money instead, the kids complained the food was all bad pizza and fake chicken nuggets, and also that waiting in the line took up their whole lunch time. So out comes that brown bag every school night…</p>
<p>I don’t miss dealing with elementary school nonsense; the pointless busywork projects, the team practices interfering with dinner and other family time, the tedious hours of homework, and most of all having to deal with all the stupid papers sent home by the schools. My DS wasn’t the most proactive child when it came to bringing permission slips, etc to my attention and as a result there were far too many last minute panics in the mornings. I’ll take higher education, tuition bills and all any day!</p>
<p>Related to what Marian said – constant vigilance to make sure they didn’t somehow kill themselves during the toddler/preschool years. Especially D2 – “I laugh at danger!” was her motto… :(</p>
<p>Croup.</p>