Get it? Any Bowie fans out there? If not, I’ll give you a minute to look it up.
That out of the way, I have to give it to you straight. When you become a parent, your relationships are going to change. Not all of them, but probably the ones most important to you.
That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it could be.
Have you experienced any of these in your life, post-baby, yet?
- You and your life partner feel more like business partners these days, with the bulk of your conversations centered around who needs to do what, and when, to keep the household running.
- You notice your child-free friends’ eyes glaze over as you tell yet another story about your kid. You see they’re bored, but you just can’t stop.
- Everyone suddenly gives you unsolicited advice that just doesn’t work for your life.
- Your boss or colleagues start to doubt your commitment at work because you just cannot stay late anymore. Explaining that daycare does not come with overnight privileges doesn’t seem to compute.
If you haven’t experienced these yet, you probably will. And if you have, you don’t need to panic.
Yes, change is inevitable. How could you not be changed by becoming responsible for a human who can’t do anything for themselves? You can’t stop change, but you can mindfully nudge it in the direction you want and end up with a richer relationship in the end.
Here’s some homework for you. Take 5 minutes. Think about a relationship that has changed since the baby came into your life. How has it changed? What is good about where that relationship is right now? What would you like to be different about the relationship?
What is one tiny thing you can do this week to move things in the right direction?
Let me know how it went!
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