“Was your life fun before you became a parent?”

The question stunned me, truthfully. I had never been asked that before, but my answer was simple.

ᴼʰ, ʸᵉˢ ⁱᵗ ʷᵃˢ

It was filled with spontaneity and travel. It was filled with sleepy Saturdays and spending rainy days in bed all day.

We could go wherever we wanted, whenever we wanted, without baby gear in tow. I could eat anything I wanted, without tiny hands tugging on my shirt, begging for a bite.

I could get lost in a bubble bath, while savoring a glass of wine, without small fists trying to bang the door down.

It was having romantic date nights, acting like we were still in college, staying out until all hours of the night, falling in love with each other over and over again.

Yes, it was entirely fun being only responsible for myself and not having to worry about sustaining the life of another human being.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸? 𝘓𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵.

It’s making time for finding animal-shaped clouds. It’s seeing the world from a child’s point of view.

It’s finding beauty in the simplest of things. It’s watching rain pitter-patter on the window, in complete awe, as if it’s the first time seeing rain.

It’s joy in a dog’s wagging tail.

It’s a chocolate chip cookie being the best thing you’ve ever tasted.

It’s waking up every morning, ready to go out into the world with wide-eyed amazement.

It’s curiosity in finding a worm in the dirt. It’s asking a million questions, trying to make some sense of the world around you. It’s never wanting the day to end.

It’s remembering how quickly time passes and to cherish these moments, because since becoming a mother, I am introduced to time flying by.

It’s watching your precious children love you in the biggest way possible. It’s missing your life before, but never wanting to go back to it.

It’s chaos. It’s messy. It’s love. It’s perfection.

But above all else, it’s more fun than I could ever have imagined.