I didn`t know how to teach until I met you.

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Tales from the crib

Tales from the crib

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to everyone visiting the KIDZUP website, whether for the first time or the zillionth. My name is Michelle Makariak, and I, like you, am a parent. I am the mother of three small children under three- one girl and two boys. And although I love them more than I love anything else in this universe, sometimes I shake my head at the person I have become. When I became a parent, I lost my sense of "I". I am no longer an individual, I am a Mommy.

For example: I haven't had a shower by myself in at least two years- there is always at least one child in the tub with me.

Ditto for going to the bathroom with any sense of privacy. I always have at least one willing helper waiting- eagerly- to flush the toilet.

Barney- who I swore as a non-mommy I would never EVER let my kids watch (if I ever even had kids, which was debatable) has been a close personal friend of mine since my oldest child hit six months of age.

My husband and I never get to listen to our own music anymore- EVER. We now listen to all things KIDZUP. My husband is so brainwashed he listens to the kids' discs on this way to work- EVEN WHEN THE KIDS AREN'T IN THE VAN!

Which brings me to another point- I own a MINI-VAN!!!

Being a parent affects every aspect of my life. My husband and I haven't had a romantic night out in eons. We did get to go see TITANIC (thanks to grandparents who are always willing to babysit), but even that major event had strings attached. We had a cell phone with us, turned on, the entire time in case of emergency at home.

I have noticed that old friends, who are childless and, in many cases, not yet married, have slipped away. I have more in common with my family doctor than I do with them. For example, my doctor and I can easily discuss the latest childhood epidemic sweeping the neighbourhood, but my university friends wouldn't recognize an ear thermometer from that other, less comfortable, kind.

Don't get me wrong. I love everything my children do- even when they are whipping macaroni and cheese full force at the rotating fan and dreaming of new ways to soil the carpet. I adore the way they smell ( even in dirty diapers), smile( especially with a mouth full of mashed banana and spaghetti) and cuddle (even when they are only cuddling with me to avoid getting in trouble for doing something like...say...throwing all the toothbrushes into the toiletbowl!)

And each child is a special delight. Adriaan, my oldest at 33 months, is a little mother who looks after her brothers fiercely, and would never do anything to hurt them. She is artistic, stubborn, and too smart for her age. For example, when she says her prayers, she won't say "Amen" because..."Mommy, me isn't AMEN, me's a girl!"

Collin, my second child, is 18 months. He is my weight loss program. Collin has scaled the heights of my fridge, climbed up onto my mantelpiece, and managed to pull every single doorstopper in my house out of the wall. And he can make my heart melt just by looking at me with his green eyes.

Joshua, my youngest child at 3 months old, is just starting to come into his own. He likes to be held all the time, and laughs like mad- a gurgly, chuckly laugh- everytime Adriaan so much as looks at him. And, I swear, he has sensors in his bum that tell him the minute he has a clean diaper on. I need not explain...

I firmly believe children are our most precious resource. I know mine are more important than anything else in this world, and I would do anything I could for them in this world- even if it means I will never have a moment of privacy to myself again.