Why Parents (Should Be Able To) Complain

I've got two kids now, and they are wonderful little rug rats.  The oldest is almost three, and has all the delightful imagination, play, and mind-numbing challenges that come with that age.  The youngest is 7 months, and she's 100% smiles and cheer, and also tons of work with her acid reflux and teething.

Sometimes I feel like I'm expected to enjoy every second of having kids, otherwise "why did I have them?"

That's why this blog post really hit home:

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I’ve heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they’ve heard there’s magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it’s hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that  most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.
And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers – “ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU’LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN’T!” TRUST US!! IT’LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!”  - those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

We don't only do things we enjoy all the time.  Sometimes we do hard things because the moments along the way are worthwhile.