This is a sweet thread. Mine was a late term preemie (twin lost). I made a pact with God for strength not to crumble from loss and life at the same time. For joy and sadness to coexist.

Can't describe the love for my beautiful 16 yo son, who is healthy, smart, hilariously funny and the kindest person I've ever known. Blessed is an understatement. The teen years have been a breeze so far. I guess in comparison to such a traumatic start, my threshold is pretty high.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I felt it profoundly, but the most amazing part was watching our children transform my husband. It's happening to you while you are watching it happen to someone else at the same time, and you share this amazing bond over it.

Aw, you're so right--hadn't thought about it this way, but it's true. My husband *loves* being a dad.

NP- I felt like op did in the beginning, but my dh did not and it broke my heart. I knew how much I loved her and how indescribable that love is, and that he didn't feel the same way and it was really a struggle to watch.

There were times that I wanted to literally eat them. Or I'd squeeze them sooooo hard. LOVE!

I was amazed by this feeling too, OP.
I remember wondering if my mother really felt this way about me. She was/is a wonderful mother, but most of my memories of her were of us butting heads when I was a teenager. Having my own child and realizing that all of the things I was doing for him, all of the love I had for him, all of the hopes I had for him, that my mother had felt all of that and done all of that too...well, it put things in a very different light.

Anonymous wrote:My daughter will be 3 in October. It's often exhausting being a parent to a young kid while also working FT, but I love her so much I want to just envelop her.

I'm not someone who doesn't see my kid's flaws, but at the same time there's a part of me that looks at her and thinks "wow. she's just incredible." I don't mean that in a superficial, bragging sense. I mean it in an indescribable, visceral sense that I think only my husband and I could understand when it comes to her in particular. We think it purely because she's our child.

At the same time, I'm happy to put her to bed at night because I know she's safe and cozy in her crib and DH and I can have time together. I'm happy she's in preschool because she loves it and is getting a lot out of it. I miss her while she's away, but I'm glad to have my job and my time on my own as well.

It's hard to explain, but it's absolutely the most incredible experience I've ever had.

This. We know our kid is kinda weird and definitely has scales but my husband and I sometimes sit around and half-joke about how sad we feel for everyone else whose kid isn’t as great as our kid and how lucky we are that she’s ours and totally perfect in our eyes. (Knowing full well that all parents sit around thinking their kid is the shit)

Before becoming a parent I was head over heels obsessed with my nieces so I wasn’t exactly surprised by the intensity of love you feel as a parent but I was surprised by how emotional I get when my dd genuinely hurts or feels sad (ex. parting ways with grandma or being left with a new sitter) I choke up and feel her pain in a way I never expected. And when I’m super proud of her the tears flow too. It’s kind of embarrassing so I find it comforting when other parents can’t help themselves either.

Anonymous wrote:I felt it profoundly, but the most amazing part was watching our children transform my husband. It's happening to you while you are watching it happen to someone else at the same time, and you share this amazing bond over it.

Aw, you're so right--hadn't thought about it this way, but it's true. My husband *loves* being a dad.