Welcome to Parenthood
Today, I saw you. You’re quiet when the teacher of today’s story time is talking, though you smile at the other parents when their child does something funny. You chase your child down, patiently pulling her squirming form into your lap to sit through the whole program. Your organized bag is packed with everything from extra wipes to a change of clothes to the just-in-case snack. You likely use an adorably designed grocery cart cover that you wash between trips to the store with your little one. You’ve learned the words to each song at story time and sing them, teaching and coaxing the small child in your lap. You watch for a few minutes with other parents when the kids play, hesitant in which question you will casually ask first about their baby or toddler, hoping for common ground and maybe even a playdate later this month. You get nervous when your little one squawks in the middle of the story, and you hide her under one of those contraptions when it’s time to nu...