What Was My Life Like?

My eight-year-old was looking at pictures with me when he looked at me earnestly and said, "Mommy, what was your life like before you had kids?"
I started to answer, but he interrupted me and said, "Really, Mom, I want to know. What was your life like?"

So I paused. And thought. And reminisced. Then I looked up, and he was off, having been distracted by his little brother. But it was too late for me. I was already in deep thought.

My life before my kids. I was able to sleep late on the weekends. I went out with my friends more, though I was never a "party girl." I cooked for one very often, without regard to who else may need some dinner. If I had to work late, I worked late, often stretching long into the evening. In fact, I worked very late very often

I had a poor body image, and worried about how I looked whether I looked good or not. When I was out and about, no matter what I looked like or who I was with, I felt like there was something missing. Since I was never one of those girls always planning my dream wedding (spend that much on one night?) or counting how many children I was going to have (with so many parentless kids in the world?), I didn't quite connect that what was missing might be a family of my own. It just wasn't me to think that way.

I hated New Year's Eve and the 4th of July. These were two holidays where I never seemed to have a good time. Either I was home alone, or I was out with a friend who only wanted to find a boyfriend, or I was fighting with someone (date?).

Now that I have children and a husband, but especially the children, I have to say that these things don't occur to me anymore. Sure, I miss sleeping late and eating cereal for dinner now and then. (OK, we do occasionally have cereal for dinner now, but that's extremely rare.) And yes, I still feel fat, though in my defense, I now have a legitimate reason to get into shape and live a long life: My children. It's true that I sometimes wish I could spontaneously run out to meet a friend or run to the store to pick something up without either finding someone to watch the kids or dragging them along with me.

Now, though, I have so much more. I have love. I have companionship. I have someone (or multiple someones) to watch Lifetime movies with.

Whatever my life was like before I had kids, it is so much more now. Besides, there will be plenty of time to sleep when I'm old. For right now, it's nice to have someone (multiple someones) to wake up for, no matter what time it is.