Being a mom is all about trade-offs and sacrifices. You really can’t have it all…at least at the same time. Your head would surely explode. So they should stop making such a big deal out of it.

On a daily basis I find myself making choices between this or that. Do I take a shower while she’s napping or read my book nestled in the corner of the couch? Because if I choose reading then I’ll have to take her in the bathroom with me while I shower and who knows what kind of mood she’ll be in. She might scream at me the entire time because she can’t see my face, even though I continue to talk and sing her name, assuring her that I’m just behind the curtain.

But if I choose to shower while she’s peacefully slumbering, there are even more choices to make. To shave the legs, or not to shave the legs. And I mean the whole leg–both of them–above the knees. To condition the hair, or not to condition the hair. You can’t do both. There’s just not enough time to be showered and ready before she wakes up if you shave both legs! So I usually sacrifice smooth legs for manageable hair, it’s not like these pasty white stumps see the light of day anyway.

Each decision is a trade-off in itself. Sometimes it works out well and the whole day goes smoothly. Other times I want to pull my hair out…my soft, manageable hair.

I realize the choices I have to make are really easy ones for the time being. I know it will only get more complicated as the baby gets older. And here I always thought that things would get easier! Joke’s on me!