Stacee is a blessing and she has always been treated as one. This three-year old girl has made our days brighter, longer, better, messier, and happier all at once. Before her, I’ve never really been good with kids. I had 4 younger siblings that I helped care for but it was my second sister who’s always been better than I am when it comes to looking after our other three siblings.
The Game Changer
After finishing college, I’ve had so many plans in mind about myself, my career, my parents and siblings, and my love life. I never really had any thoughts yet about raising a child. Although I’ve always been a believer of change and I’ve always welcomed unexpected circumstances. All were going according to plan. Until Stan came into my life.
He was, in a way, a part of my plans as I did want to meet someone to share the joys of life with, although I never expected him to be part of my life sooner. But he’s already here so we made the most of every moment we’re together. Four months within our relationship, I got pregnant. I never really feared it and I thought that I was ready for it. I just have to be ready. Good thing that Stan was ready for it, too.
So nine months later, and after some crazy cravings and mood swings and that oh-so-unbearable-yet-bearable pain of child delivery, we had Stacee. From then on, Stan and I were a work in progress as parents and partners. And everything in our lives has changed, like, big time.
Acquired Skills as Parents
Everyone would agree that being a parent is tough. Here is a rough list of the skills and other what-nots we have so far learned through practice:
• Cooking good food
• Avoiding junk foods
• Changing diapers and dirty clothes
• Giving baths
• Breastfeeding while doing chores
• Cleaning up the house
• Budgeting our money
• Enjoying toddler shows
• Cajouling a tantrum-fueled kid
• Being patient over tantrums
• Singing nursery rhymes and lullabies
• Preparing the bottle
• Drawing fictional characters
• Teaching about colors, shapes, letters, and numbers
• Freelancing for extra money
• Story telling
• Answering unlimited questions of the curious
• Washing clothes
• Kissing and curing boo-boos
• Being a fashion stylist for little girl
• Meals and Activity scheduling
• Teaching discipline
It’a a long list but these are just ones on top of my head. Stan and I are actually proud to have learned these things. They might be small deals for other people but the feelibg of accomplishment that we get by knowing that we got to become hands on parents to our child is something that money can’t buy.
Maybe One More…?
Being a working slash hands-on parent is the toughest job ever. People say that you can’t serve two masters at once but if you are a parent, the idea of raising a child will puah you to do the impossible. So yes, it’s difficult. But I wouldn’t say no to having another one in due time. And hopefully, this time will have a boy. More fun, more chaos, more love, more mess… More happiness.
Love from,
Mrs. Leality
Christine Joy Leal 
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