Reply to s/o What from your pre-kid life best prepared you for being a parent?

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Reply to "s/o What from your pre-kid life best prepared you for being a parent?"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Absolutely nothing.  I had younger siblings (much younger - they were born when I was a tween/teen) and babysat.  I couldn’t even keep a houseplant alive.  I think the only people who might be somewhat prepared are daycare workers/nannies, educators, and child psychologists - but even then, the knowledge is more theoretical.

You really can’t prepare. [/quote]

I find this attitude baffling. Of course you can prepare. Will anything ever be exactly like being a parent? No, of course not. But there's nothing like being a brain surgeon, either. And yet brain surgeons spend years preparing to do brain surgery. Of course you can prepare.

Also, having kids isn't just about the infant and little kid years. A daycare worker might be great with babies and toddlers but totally flummoxed by a 10 year old having social issues at school. Likewise, there are people who don't like or get the baby/toddler years but are amazing with elementary, middle, or high school kids, because some aspect of their personality (or some prior experience, or both) helps them key into the needs of those ages.

Of course you can prepare to be a parent. One could argue that if you become a parent, literally everything that happened prior to that moment was preparation. I absolutely think my own childhood was preparation for parenthood, for instance, and those experiences continue to help me maintain empathy for my kids.[/quote]

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