4 Mini Wins of Parenthood

With parenthood comes highs and lows, that's all part of the package. But even when your day doesn't go to plan with a 4am start, explosive nappies, toddler tantrums in Tesco and your home being redecorated with baby food, there are (nearly) always things to celebrate. 

These are a few mini wins you may experience as a mum or dad. It's all about being positive.

Your keys are nowhere to be seen. They aren't in your bag among the wet wipes and overflowing Tupperware pots of snacks, they aren't hanging in the hallway above your child's latest wallpaper doodles and they aren't in the door where you vaguely remember leaving them. A feeling of panic overcomes you and after ensuring they haven't been posted out through the letterbox you head to the bathroom to peer around the door. Surprisingly they aren't in the toilet or floating in a bubble filled sink with Barbies so you don't need to go fishing! You eventually discover them deep in the depths of the toy box, after activating every musical item possible in the process, which makes you incredibly late to leave but you are filled with joy that they aren't dripping wet in pee and poop and in need of some anti-bac spray. You can moonwalk your way to the car while fist pumping.

You know the importance of fruit and veg in your child's diet but unfortunately they may prefer a dish of ketchup covered protein and carbs without anything green in sight. That tablespoon of petit pois often sits on the Dora the Explorer themed plate uneaten, carrot sticks are discreetly flicked across the table like Hawkeye arrows and broccoli 'accidentally' falls for the pets to trample into the flooring. Today however the blender made an appearance and the onions, mushrooms and tomatoes were pulped to perfection so your little ones get their five a day without screaming... even if it's because you didn't dare mention that there was something healthy inside! You can wink at your partner and eat your spaghetti bolognese with a smirk on your face and worry about the orange stained clothes later.

Parents 1 - Kids 0.

If your little one suddenly emerges from their room with a hat on and they aren't about to go in the garden to play, this usually means one thing. They discovered the scissors. If however they decided to add glue, glitter or Play-Doh to their locks you're probably in luck! It is far easier to remove unwanted products (or even nits), despite using an entire family-sized bottle of Tresemme, than it is to style an extremely short and wonky fringe or random bald patches, however much of a hairdresser you may be. You can also be grateful that it's not an electric toy train tangled in their hair, I speak from experience - and it was my curls not the kid's that were destroyed. It's best not to ask for the full story!

There will come a time when the washing machine is switched on and just as you walk away you notice coins, conkers, action figures, half a biscuit and other random objects spinning around with your dirty laundry. The door won't unlock on your appliance once the water starts flowing so you will have no choice but to put up with the rattling for several hours until the cycle is complete, or you can drown out the sound with 'Something Special' or 'Rar Rar the Noisy Lion' on repeat. Just be pleased that in between the children fighting, being rescued from crawling up the stairs and demanding a boob or bottle that you actually managed to tick a chore off your list. If they come out dirtier than they went in that's okay right? They will only get messy again anyway.

What would you add to the list?

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