I'm not mad, I'm with a child

Sometimes I get frustrated by having to put down my cup of tea because a small hand is coming towards me with a huge bogie on it and the owner is demanding removal. And sometimes I get bored of going over stuff I already know, like 'A' is for apple and "yes six does come after five", yawn.

But, there are bonuses to having kids.

So many seem fixated on how we should be bringing up our children, what we should be feeding them and how we should be teaching them, without thinking about what is really in it for them.
Yes, your life will change, but for the better. No, not because creating a new life is so rewarding or because of the profound bond and love you feel when you look into your child's eyes. No, it will change for the better because now you can do all the things you have always wanted to do, without looking mad.

I can now freely dance at buskers in the street, that's right, dance at them. It's not weird, it's not embarrassing, I'm not mad; I am dancing with my child. Go on; just think about that situation without a child. The more positive amongst you are thinking 'Oh look, what a free spirit', but deep down you are really thinking what the rest of us would be if we saw a woman dancing at a busker; 'crazy, she has completely lost it.'

It is not simply a case of reliving your childhood, no. It is much simpler then that (or deeper, depending on if you are talking to a psychiatrist because you took dancing in the street too far) we are not reliving anything; we are simply doing the things we have always wanted to continue doing but aren't allowed to because of 'social norms and values'.

With a child by your side it is suddenly becomes completely acceptable to say everything you are thinking out loud. No I am not talking to myself, or worse the shelves of bread, there is a child in my trolley, I am talking to it.

Or, if the moment takes me I can play with the Lego blocks, so what if my child is in nursery that morning, I am tidying it up, it's not weird, I'm not mad; I have a child. I may also wish to enjoy a few precious moments watching Peppa Pig, which is not weird, it is not embarrassing and I am not mad, because lets face it some of those episodes are just so funny, and did I mention? I have a child.

You may occasionally want to do some colouring, with a child it's all go, break out the crayons! And I haven't even started on all the soft play areas out there. Oh. My. God. Slides, ball ponds, huge foam building blocks, so much fun to be had, and you defiantly can not go to a soft play area without a child, that really is crazy.

So, if you have just become a parent or perhaps you are contemplating a baby, or you're just fed up with your screaming child; just think of all the wonderful things you could be doing - without looking mad.