15 things I learned after having kids

I have always been very judgmental on how other parents raise their kids.  It was easy to judge having not been in their situation. The judgement would really come out when I saw how parents would let their kids act in public, I didn't hold back. It was not until I was pregnant with my second child that I realized these parents were not "letting" their kids act that way, it's just kind of how they were. Here were a few things I finally realized after many years of judgement.

1. Some children really do require restraints when having their diapers changed. And it is not due to lack of know how from the parents, the kid just wont stop wiggling!

2. If your child just sits there and doesn't mess with anything you should thank your lucky stars and quit while you're ahead, because this means your second child will probably be exactly the opposite!

3. When they speak of children who eat everything, they literally mean EVERYTHING! As in not just the food you give them, but also toys, food out of the trash, the trash itself, electrical cords, dirt, carpet, leaves, other children, shoes, doorstoppers...I could go on.

4. When your child is throwing a temper tantrum in public there really is not much you can do. You basically have two options: you can ignore them or remove them from the situation. If you choose the latter then they will realize that all they have to do is throw a fit and you will drop everything and go, so what solution does that really leave you with?

5. It's ten times harder to find a sitter for two kids rather than one. So if you thought you were stuck at home a lot with one kid then you have no idea how much worse it could get!

6. It is not going to kill your kid if they go outside in the cold without a jacket. It's better to let them get chilly than to spend two hours fighting them to get them in it and then to stay in their jacket.

7. Potty training is a joke.  If somebody tells you they potty trained their kid over the weekend then the answer is one very simple thing. THEY ARE LYING. Plain and simple.

8. Parents like being around other parents so they can compare their parenting skills, to make sure they are doing the best out of all their friends at child rearing.

9. Children make every attempt possible to make you look like the worst parent ever while out in public.  Running away and finding ways to test your patience are the two biggest things in this process.

10. Always keep snacks in your purse! You never know when you will need to bribe them!

11. When your husband tells you he is on vacation for a week, or that he has the weekend off, that literally means he has the weekend off, your duties will continue on as normal with no interruptions.

12. If you just ignore the kids long enough while he is on vacation eventually he gets the hint and steps up to his job.

13. You can determine when it's time to cut either yours or your kids nails by the size and amount of scratches on their faces.

14. When it's quiet, that is when you should worry.

15. Just grit your teeth and smile when the hundredth person comes up to you in the grocery store and tries to tell you how to correctly raise your kids. One day that will be you.