For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for April 23, 2020

For some reason, Elly only remembers the cuteness and I say to her, “What kind of mother are you?!! You can’t guilt your children if you can’t remember how tough they were as babies!! You can’t brag about how hard it was to take care of a baby who cried all the time, if you can’t remember they cried all the time.” Michael and Elizabeth have been deprived if they haven’t heard those kind of stories. I know my kids love it when I tell those stories to them. They don’t roll their eyes at all.

My three older stepsisters and my two younger stepsisters are also half-sisters. So I bet the older ones must’ve had some hard time adjusting to the newborn younger ones’ crying and what-not. Same thing with my younger stepsisters’ older half-brothers (my older stepsisters’ first set of stepbrothers).

If you think child rearing is hard now, Ellie, wait until April gets older! ;D

It is harder in your forties, isn’t it Elly! :)But we forget, yes?

Or nobody would ever have more than one!

It’s impossible to forget their cuteness, especially once they grow up—-or so I’m told by those who know.

Ironically, the babies of today will grow into the adults of tomorrow who will say the same thing about their parents some day

That kind of selective amnesia is probably the primary reason why anyone ever has more than one child.

Try being an old man. You’ll get up every three hours for the rest of your life.

Babies make smells and noises at both ends and should be approached(if at all) at the middle!

It’s better this way than the opposite: Remembering all the work and forgetting the good parts.

Parenting is not a job for the fainthearted. My hat is off to those who do it.

When you don’t have to take care of them 24/7.

Having a baby is EXACTLY like standing watch on a sailboat. You wake up every three hours. It’s always time for someone to eat. And if you aren’t careful you will end up wet and miserable. But it’s usually worth the bother and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Yes, Elly, for a while your world needs to evolve around the baby. However, you have two other children that can help with chores and a husband that you need to be dragging out of bed to support you when you feed the child. If Jon objects to getting up with you for feedings, remind him that he helped make the child, he can help with the support.

There’s a reason for that.

Elly can toilet train April, Elizabeth, and Michael all at the same time.