"Just Wait Until..."

I read an opinion article last night about the worst advice to give other parents. It always seems to start with one parent (usually a younger, new parent) who is either complaining about a new habit their child has developed, or if they are young enough (such as the early 2-3's), how cute it is that this habit is. The other parent will inevitably come back with a "If you think that is bad/ cute, just wait until..." The article goes on to say how this phrase comes across as condescending rather than helpful. I know I do not do justice to summarizing this article.

I remember doing this a few times, not meaning any harm by it. One more recent situation was when I was at the playground at our complex and talking with another parent of an only child from the neighborhood. While we were watching our children play, another mom with two small girls (1 and 2 years old) came over and started talking. She said something to the effect of, "I can't wait until my girls get older!" I went on to say that she may not feel the same when they are older and then be wishing they were young again. (The other mom agreed, but I don't know if we feel that way because we have only children. It could be different with two children close in age.)

I say this about my own daughter. Sometimes I wish she were just a small infant to about 18 months old again. She was easy to care for, I knew what she wanted and she didn't talk back as much as she does now. In the long run though, I am glad she is 6 (and some days going on 16) and do wish that time would stand still. I wouldn't trade it for anything else.

My husband shared a story from one of his friends who posted on FB that she wished her 2 year old daughter be 5 right now after handing her a cup of juice and watched her daughter pour it on the floor, then laughing it off with a "But it was so cute!" It's not so cute when your 6 year old does it, and not to mention the stepping on your feet, pushing past you when you are carrying an armload of whatever so she could be in front of the imaginary line, then looking at you innocently like nothing even happened.

This got us talking about all the different things that no one told us, or that they did tell us, but we shrugged it off with "That won't happen to us" or "I learned from your mistakes" and returned the all-knowing look from the advice giver, usually in our experience, our parents.

Here are a few things we came with when our daughter was born:

• Girls have little fire hoses like boys; they can both pee up into the air as well as out in front of them. Just ask my carpet- and my husband, who was changing a diaper and almost got a face full of urine.
• When there is a fear of the toilet during the early potty training year, your child may find other ways to void their bladder... and their bowels. I had to throw out many a toy from this last one. There's nothing like cleaning your young toddler's room to discover that some random bowl-like toy has been used as a less frightening toilet. This includes the underside of a drum seat, the barrel for the Barrel of Monkeys, and many other things.
• There is nothing like coming into the living room and seeing your little one has taken off a dirty diaper, smeared it onto the couch you just recently purchased, and dancing on said couch. (Glad I was at work when this one happened.)
• There is no good cure for 'verbal diarrhea'; she will say whatever comes to mind, even about the time "Mom shaved Dad's butt!" Or one of my favorites just happened the other day when her dad and I were trying to take a 'nap' and she walked in. "Why are you taking a nap nekkie?"

Plus many more!

What a journey it has been thus far. There has been, and continues to be, challenges, more recently a semi-confirmed diagnosis of a medical condition that is being dealt with day by day.

Does anyone else have any advice that they were given and didn't take to heart until much later when their child(ren) did this or that? Was there any advice that was simply not given, but later thought it should have been? Or on the flip-side, what kind of advice have you given that wasn't received?