Before you have a child, your friends who are married with kids may tell you how your life will change – yes, you expect sleep deprivation, no ‘me-time’ but you probably will not expect all these sacrifices that comes with it! Here are 10 things you don’t know about kids until, well, you already have them!

#1: They are truly a constant in your life

Children are very needy. They wake up and expect you to start playing with them. Wherever you go, they go along. Whatever you consider, they are part of the consideration – think TV show, movie, restaurant selection. Only thing is, when you sleep, they are still awake and needing you!

#2: Their sense of hygiene is foreign to you

Children feel perfectly fine with eating their boogers – in fact, they make friends over it. Your child may tell you he/she had made a friend and it’s guaranteed a true friend because they ate boogers together. You hope they were not eating each other’s boogers (For those who don’t know what booger is, it is the dried nasal mucus).

#3: They are Master Work-Creators

Children get dirty very easily – with food spills, ice cream drips and just when you want to sit down for a coffee, there comes ‘Oops, I accidentally did this’. The work is endless. It is very likely you feel more like an over-worked helper than a parent.

#4: They can’t tell lies

This is very interesting and totally opposite to an adult’s behavior. For an adult, you would not tell someone upfront that he/she is overweight and should not eat the ice cream. For a child, he/she would exclaim exactly just that! For an adult, you will probably tell a white lie and not blurt out at the very next second that it’s just a lie. But a child would do that (at least when he’s still a kid!). Well, just smile and look away when it gets too embarrassing.

#5: They cost a lot

We expect raising children to be expensive, but you would never expect that they will cost so much. From pre-natal checkups, baby delivery, baby products, choice of preschool, books, toys, extra classes from young to university days! The sum you would have spent is totally out of your imagination.

#6: They are Natural Home-Renovators

Your child may be one of those who keep breaking things around the house or one that will be ‘beautifying’ the walls (secretly) with their creativity. Even if they are extremely good, at some point, you would start putting up their drawings and ‘works of art’ on your wall. Your family members or friends may wonder how it has come to look so different from the initial.

#7: They increase your productivity

With a child, you have to do chores regularly (clean floor, change bed sheets and clear the overflowing laundry basket). With a child who is in school, you have to pick them up on time. This means for hours they are not with you, you have to work faster to get your things done. For hours they are with you, you have more ‘child-created’ work to do (see #3!). We look just like a ‘Super Mum’.

#8: They change how you see things

You start looking at your child’s body to see if he/she is alright. You look at your floor to see if there’s any lizard poop that your crawling baby may attempt to eat. You look at a rubber ball and you think it’s a chewing hazard.
You may start looking at your spouse to see how much workload he/she had shared for the day! It seems like you have become meticulous or paranoid all the time.

#9: They may be dirty but they are one that will enhance your family’s health.

Yes, we know that babies require diaper change, potty training can get messy and they find creative ways to dirty themselves. Yet, with all the media focus on healthy eating and exercise, you can’t bear to feed your children junk (or be known that you did! Remember #4, your kid won’t lie for you!). Thus, it is not uncommon that parents find themselves eating healthier, especially when they cook for their child and family. In fact, it becomes much
harder to whip up a meal of unhealthy food.

#10: They are still worth your life

Despite everything, at the end of the day, you won’t regret having your child. Maybe that’s why your married friends with kids never tell you these stuff about their kids. At the end of the day, when you actually find time to chat with your friends, it’s more likely you’d say children are such a joy!

Do you have any interesting story about your child or how they have changed your life? Write to us by commenting below!

By Mei