How young do they go? And FIFTY minutes?

I’m speaking from the POV of a parent (who has a background in TKD) who takes her kid to class 4-5 times a week. My daughter, currently 7, is in the dojang’s class for the youngest students. It’s technically only for those aged 4 to 6, but my daughter likes how small the class is (max of around 8 whereas the next class up is double that at least and the kids tower over her). The class is ONLY 30 minutes long, which my daughter says is borderline too short, but it’s perfect for the 4 year olds.

Their attention span isn’t very long. Not even for my 7 year old. They definitely don’t get to as many things as the hour long classes do (I attend the adult classes) but they have one goal per class, whether it be kicks, forms, or hand techniques.

The class starts with warm up for about 10 minutes and that differs each day. It could be things like jumping jacks or sit ups, laps, high jumps, or exercises like bear crawls and frog leaps. Sometimes, they even have obstacle courses and take out the giant air mattress (used for rolls or just for fun because the kids love it).

Then they’ll try to tackle a skill or two like lining up for kicking drills or going through forms grouped based on belt level. If the class is doing well, they might add another thing before the end of class but sometimes, time just runs out.

Sometimes, the kids are more distracted or they goof off but then the parents might step in if needed, or at least I do. And the Master of the dojang is fairly intimidating so if he’s there and he sees it, he’ll head over and the kids shape up like magic.

The instructors tend to be more patient and encouraging. They are definitely more lenient than with the older age groups.

I used to teach a daycare class in Korea in addition to my regular classes. I’m not Korean. No one in that class knows Korean. I sort of get what you’re going through because my teaching methods are more aligned to older kids, never mind the language barrier.

Just focus on making the class fun and incorporating what you can. Don’t expect to go through a lot per class. Know that young kids take a while and their attention span is akin to that of a goldfish, though some can be pretty attentive.

Yes and no.

I always need things to do - hobbies that exist outside of my responsibilities - to keep me happy or at least content. Once I start, I jump in with both feet. Here are a few within the past 8 years:

Cooking and baking - hello hoards of kitchen gadgets. I’d plan meals a week ahead of time and cooked something new every day. At least I used them all and everyone got to benefit. I learned a lot about food along the way. I started this because with my diet, I can’t eat out freely so the kitchen became my restaurant.

Languages - all about immersion and traveling!

Fountain pens - grew to 5 pens within the first month and bottled ink joined soon after. I’m not even going to get into current numbers. Somewhat improved my handwriting with all the writing, supported USPS, the process of cleaning and inking was personal and calming.

Gardening - three and a half raised beds grew to 8.5 in a year. Plus a side yard with tropical plants. And an in ground section for okra. Oh, and add in 10 rose bushes more recently. This is constantly changing with new things at every turn. So satisfying though hard work. Good reason to get off my behind.

Embroidery - newest addition to my hobbies. I’m terrible at traditionally feminine activities and needlework is a good skill to have. It’s work in progress but enjoyable so far.

Hot yoga, taekwondo - INTPs aren’t known to be the most active. Coupled with my nonexistent metabolism, I need to move. So I took up hot yoga which was surprisingly nice. And taekwondo because my parents didn’t want me to do a martial art growing up. But I was an adult. So I did it. Even got my black belt!

There are countless more I want to start but I think I have enough as it is.

All of these came about because I was curious and I love learning. I especially love it when it’s a challenge. I enjoy bettering myself and what better than to step out of the box?

HOWEVER, I’m now constantly tired. I have 2 young kids and have nowhere near the amount of alone time I need. A lot of my recent hobbies are situated around the house because of this.

Trying to do something with what I have and can. I think up of these hobbies that I subconsciously know I don’t have the time to dedicate to. That means I’m sad because I can’t obsess over it like I tend to over any interests and when I’m in the zone, it’s often interrupted. And most all of these little projects are incomplete (which is infuriating). And in the background, there is a multitude of chores and duties that come with being a working mom. Sometimes, when I have a little bit of time, I just sit there. Because it’s quiet. But I have no energy to decide on one thing to do. And even when I do something, it usually means I’m setting aside something else. That is also a terrible thought.

It’s overwhelming in a way. And I feel adrift? The edges are tattered. So yes, I definitely feel like what you described now. I’m just tired.

As an introverted and socially awkward person, I sort of get where you’re coming from. You remind me of the exact opposite of a new student at my dojang who wanted to socialize with people. She specifically arranged for an outing last month and hopes to make it a regular thing. She left her previous dojang because they weren’t interested in meeting outside of classes and she wants to connect to people on all sorts of levels. Obviously, a big people person.

Guess what? I went to the tail end of the outing. Even though it was at a restaurant that we couldn’t eat at.

Why? Mostly curious. It’s interesting to watch other people in different environments. It’s nice in a way to build a rapport and even cross over to amicable feelings. Also, that has the added benefit of asking for help if needed and the increased chances of them agreeing or even volunteering without me asking (that’s a huge bonus).

Some classes, I talk more. Others, I do what is needed and keep to myself. I like my fellow TKD buddies but I also really value my alone time, especially now that I’m a mom of 2 young kids. I don’t connect as easily as some other people and I’m not as close to the other TKD folks, but I make an effort every so often.

Sure, you don’t need to socialize, but humans are generally social creatures. It doesn’t hurt to be nice and friendly, even if you don’t make the first move. At least their impression of you isn’t something negative.

1. Dove into FPs in late 2018. Recently been a bit slow but I accumulated a lot of fountain pens and ink my first 2-3 years. Probably around 140-ish by now with maybe 300 bottles of ink? Now, I only add 2-4 pens a year… and maybe a little more of ink. 🫣 I’m the only one that I know in real life who has such a collection. I still use them, but nowhere near enough to make a dent in my ink.

I’m like that with hobbies. I have many of them and I usually jump right in. I’m also into gardening (vegetables, roses), putting together legos (it’s so addictive, and this came with kids), and recently started embroidery. I also have a lot of pen pals that are moderately neglected at this point. 😅Cooking and baking came before FPs so I have a well equipped kitchen.

I know it’s easier said but like others mentioned, don’t feel bad about it. Just do what you can.

I recently got back into TKD (WTF) after a 13 year break and I’m mostly back because my daughter started so I take her nearly every day and I began feeling an itch to practice again about 3 months in. I make it to whatever adult classes I can (max of 2 or 3 times a week) and, unlike before, I mostly get to practice in class. Obviously, I’m not making very fast progress. Because I got my black belt before my hiatus, I returned as a black belt so it’s A LOT of material to practice and relearn to test again.

To me, my embarrassing bit is I have a black belt on, but I’ve forgotten or my body just won’t move the same way. However, I mainly go as a way to be active and work out. A plus would be to eventually relearn everything again. I don’t see myself testing until I can dedicate myself to it and go 5 days a week (I had learned in Korea so it’s a little different to adjust). My kids are still young with my youngest being 3 so I look after him when I take my daughter there, otherwise, I would join my daughter’s class.

The other adults in the adult class also do what they can. Most of the working adults with families don’t come as regularly as the ones who don’t have kids yet. It’s just how it is, but the instructor is always happy to see people when they do make it in.

As a note, my daughter is one of the very few who goes almost every day until recently (she started swimming classes and it takes the place of one of the TKD sessions), so she only goes 4 days a week now. It’s the way I learned and my daughter refuses to practice at home, so it made sense to go when she could. Most of the other kids only go 2-3 times a week, some only once. So definitely don’t feel bad.

I was offered Vietnamese coffee by my grandpa starting when I was 5. I’d get to sip from his cup and then I soon realized I could chug it until he got back and that’s what I would do. My dad started making me smaller cups or I’d sip from his when I got a little older. No dilution here! We’d just try to limit the intake.

I have adopted a similar policy as a mom. I drink tea and coffee (milk and sugar, though I’m fond of condensed milk) and my husband guzzles it black. If the kids see me making it or drinking it, they’d get a few spoons or sips if they asked nicely. More often than not, I’d give them a tiny espresso spoon of sweetened condensed milk as a treat.

I probably would have died along with my first.

Seemingly normal turned out to be super complicated by 24 weeks. Pregnancy triggered and accelerated an underlying condition courtesy of a mass which, in turn, negatively affected the pregnancy. Ridiculously high blood pressure, severely imbalanced hormones, had to move back in with my parents because I suddenly became dependent on others… always tired, couldn’t stay awake for more than 2 hours at a time, very weak (had to rest after just a few steps and couldn’t take the stairs), fragile skin/hair, stretch marks and pitting edema by the 2nd month of pregnancy, etc.

Diagnosed with ascites the last month or so and gained 8 lbs of liquid per week and topped off at 190 lbs the day before the c-section. I’m only 5 ft tall and most of the weight was gained the last month. My daughter was only 1 lb 6 oz at 28 weeks despite the fact that I resembled a human from WALL-E at the end of my pregnancy.

Ate a handful of prescription meds a day while pregnant and then was dependent on medication to function normally for 2 years after.

Definitely a doozy and without modern medicine and technology, I probably would have died midway through from a stroke or something similar and my daughter with me.

In addition to vague/general things like “natural flavors” and “spices,” one should also keep in mind if the food is processed in a shared facility that also processes other possible allergens. Notable for those with really severe allergies and babies/toddlers since they can’t really verbalize that well (if at all) yet. My 3 year old has multiple food allergies and his allergist told us to avoid even foods that are processed in the same facility as other foods he’s allergic to until he’s better at communicating. Sadly, this does narrow down a lot of the already few items we can buy for him.

Thanks so much! A great start at where to look further and I’ll need to look closer at Peach’s castle set then.

These tests always have that problem. 🫤

I personally am not very religious and consider myself agnostic. I don’t typically think about or discuss the topic. I believe there might be a higher being but because there’s no way to prove it, I’m not going to think any further than that. I don’t really follow an organized religion, though I do think there is some truth to reincarnation. The little I do believe, I apply it as more of a lifestyle. I prefer to avoid religious people - mostly those who want to spread what they believe in to people who are not interested and are so set in what they believe in that they cannot be reasoned with. I feel uncomfortable and don’t understand why people start bringing god into everything or bless others at the drop of a hat. I also find a number of religious people to be self-righteous, hypocritical, and/or use it as an excuse/a facade so it seems fake at some moments. Following a religion certainly doesn’t mean you’re a good person.

Having said that, I know many do believe in a religion for more pure reasons and if they do, good for them, I suppose. If it helps them through whatever it is they’re going through or they just want to have faith in something to live a full life, then I respect that. Religion could be a beautiful thing… It’s just not for me.

I don’t think I have a healthy mindset - or could be considered a healthy INTP - at this point in my life, sadly. And a number of my answers were neutral because it depends on various factors. 😅

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I’m sorry to hear that but I understand a bit, though it’s second hand. My 3 year old is the one with multiple food allergies and it began when he was 6 months old - as soon as we started him on solids. Turns out he’s allergic to…. Over 10 foods, if you count all the nuts he’s allergic to or haven’t been tested on yet.

On top of that, we’re allium-free vegetarians by choice, so I was always accustomed to asking questions if we traveled or dined out at a new place because of friends, etc. To be honest, most of my friends let me choose the place and we typically go to the same handful of places because it’s nice to eat out and not worry or give them trouble.

My toddler’s allergies overlap a lot and being vegetarian cuts into it. He was never tested for foods we don’t eat as a family so we avoid those for him as well. Wheat allergy? A lot of alternatives are meat based or contains nuts or eggs (both of which he’s allergic to). Vegan diet? They often use healthy fats like avocado and nuts (he’s allergic to avocado as well) and tons of alliums. There’s a very small section of foods he can have but because he’s a toddler, he’s picky on top of that. He eats more than his sister, who is just picky with no allergies, and it gets sad because he wants to eat what everyone else is eating. And he hates most of the GF alternatives because they’re tough/grainy.

What do we do? We’ve asked our usual restaurants. Out of around 5, he can only eat maybe 1-3 dishes at 2 of them. We still cook a lot but it’s hit or miss with him.

Restaurants are a little better at being aware of allergies (same with vegetarian/vegan food) these days, but there’s always a chance of cross contamination or human forgetfulness. Like that time we told the waiter all his allergies, we were recommended the GF pancakes, and turns out the GF pancakes aren’t vegan because they contain EGGS. Because they have GF pancakes and vegan pancakes, but not one that is both. Or we got fried rice and there was no oil or salt and only tiny bits of cabbage (this was a one off though… new chef) to be super safe; needless to say the hungry toddler didn’t eat any of it because he values taste over hunger, hah.

Honestly, you just deal. No one in our family has food allergies but we had to learn fast. We eat out but keep him in mind. We also bring a pack of EpiPens whenever we’re out of the house, even if food isn’t involved. His sister has a problem of leaving crumbs when she eats or food out that she doesn’t finish but after a few mishaps, she’s mostly got it down to not leave her food out. I haven’t gone to a few of my favorite restaurants recently because he can’t eat much at all (and the liberal use of peanuts there and I don’t trust them due to cross contamination) and he is too young to fully understand why we won’t let him eat everything or to explain it himself, though he’s getting there.

I was eating a hard boiled egg yesterday and he said that he’s allergic to eggs! I was so proud. His preschool is excellent with food allergies and dietary restrictions. He generally knows not to eat anything someone who he doesn’t trust/knows gives him. We do pack lunch for him but they provide pre-approved snacks/treats, some of them, the kids make themselves, and if there’s anything new, they’ll check the ingredients and send the list to us to double check as well. My daughter knows to check with me before giving him anything that’s new or even ones that are old - just in case. We have alternatives for him and they look very similar to the regular version.

Know you’re not alone! It’s frustrating and you feel left out half the time, but it’s your life on the line. I’ve met a few kids with one or two food allergies (mostly nuts) but not anyone with multiple allergies to common foods like my son so far. I hope I’ll meet one one day around his age so he’ll have a friend with something in common and a mutual understanding. (And I can talk to the parents since we’ll have something in common as well.)

I started 2 months ago so fairly new. Got a two pack for my husband and I. Only I’ve been using it; I’m under the impression I need to put it in my husband’s car at this rate. I only finally replaced my first one because the smell does linger and I prefer the scents to be subtle rather than obvious (which it was the first 2-3 weeks).

I found their customer service to be excellent. I’m not sure if the shipping issues are because of USPS or Drift, but it wouldn’t hurt to shoot them an email ahead of time, telling them about what’s been happening if it’s a repeat problem if you haven’t already done so - and not wait when you’re already frustrated because it didn’t deliver when you’re waiting for it.

I tried to adjust my delivery schedule online and it would only let me adjust it out to a few days (not helpful) so I just sent them an email telling them I have way too many right now and would prefer to push my next delivery date to 2 months later and then every 2 months thereafter. I got a refund for that month’s shipment and everything was adjusted as requested by the next day.

On that note, since you’ve been using Drift for some time now, what do you do with the blocks once their time is up?

Nope. But I was the skinniest when my INTP self was happiest. Haha. And even then, I wasn’t truly skinny. More in shape?

I unfortunately have a slow metabolism so I need to work hard to keep my weight down and maintain it. Unless I barely eat (but that has the side effect of a grouchy me).

I guess it’s the mindset.

One of my best buddies is an omnivore but we used to be roomies and she often ended up eating food I cook so she’s used to me and my diet (I am not vegan but to hardcore meat lovers, vegetarianism is pretty much the same as veganism). All of our gatherings are vegan friendly because my sister is vegan.

One Halloween, we invited her and she asked if she could also invite two of her friends that I’ve only heard about. I was fine with it so she told them… and only one said yes. We had decided to make this 100% vegan. The one who refused to come did it because it was vegan. The other one loves food and is, perhaps, a bigger foodie than the other because she’s at least willing to try. I give her kudos for that. She’s also huge on meat.

She… didn’t eat much. A small tiny amount. And then I was told went out to eat a very meat-centric meal after. LOL. Why? Because it tasted weird.

I used to be a carnivore-leaning human so a part of me can understand it. If you’re brought up on that diet and in that environment, PLUS you absolutely love meat and other animal derived foods… Vegan food tastes different. It’s amazing what vegan substitutes there are out there but it’s NOT the same. Some of it can get pretty close to the real thing but there’s always something that gives it away be it appearance or aftertaste. Plus, there are textures in meat and non-plant based foods that vegan foods cannot replicate.

However, you weren’t talking about eating the food itself.

I think the reason why so many can be resistant against the idea of veganism can be cultural (food is a sign of wealth in many cultures, many traditional foods are meat-based, some of it is because of the geographic location) and it’s just the norm. They might feel all sorts of mixed feelings: surprise, shock, maybe a bit of awe. Depending on how you go about it, they may get defensive if they didn’t get to that point immediately. They feel like their beliefs are attacked.

Some meat eaters eat meat with gusto and zero regret. They know where it comes from. Perhaps they killed their own animal for meat. They don’t care about your sensibilities. They would rather die than not eat meat. Others are animal lovers but also can’t give up meat. A little bit of guilt, perhaps?

Food is very important to people. It could be a part of your identity and people can bond - or fight - over food.

It’s hard to say but those could be some factors as to why some are so against veganism/vegetarianism and that’s before even trying it… if they agree to.

However, don’t generalize. Not all non-vegans are so aggressively against veganism. Every person is different with their own reasons, beliefs, and opinions. Different degrees of everything, too.

Also, I think that perceiving an item differently after knowing what it is is normal. Just like having expectations, you already have an idea of what to expect and you also have an impression of things, whether it be negative or positive. It reminds me of when I made a pasta dish with goat cheese for a potluck. People loved it and I was ecstatic because they generally ate similar things over and over. Then I told them it contained goat cheese and you could see their faces change. Less people got the dish. Which was fine because I didn’t have to cook for another day, but I imagine it’s a similar idea.

Veganism gets on the news for bad reasons and meat eaters may focus on those more to validate themselves.

My sister called me that once. I find her overly sensitive and emotional. 🤷🏻‍♀️ In adulthood, I just don’t touch upon sensitive topics with her that I know I have a differing opinion on. My mom always thought me odd and my parents as a whole trusted me more by myself. As a general consensus, I was voted by some friends in my college years to have the potential to be an assassin? Mixed feelings about that one, haha. I learned to express emotions better since.

Other people have called me intimidating before they got to know me.

Now? My family, random people in passing, and very old friends that I’ve retained since my school days (plus a few odd parents of my kids’ friends) are all the socializing I can handle so I don’t really venture out to meet new people so I haven’t had much feedback recently. I don’t connect with people as easily as other moms, but that’s the norm. I’m not a healthy INTP these days; not enough me time.

Aren’t they all rabbit holes? I’m in the hobby of collecting hobbies. 🙃 I just started embroidery and I’m hoping to get back into letter writing with my fountain pens soon. Unfortunately, motherhood, summer kids activities, and a job really cuts into everything. I also have garden that is perhaps larger than is wise. 😅

That’s what I loved about visiting the UK! ❤️ I got suspicious of a cookie (biscuit??) when it didn’t state “suitable for vegetarians.” Haha…

I remember going to a ramen store and we asked the host before even being seated. He lugged out a gigantic binder full of ingredients for everything they served and we went through it together. It was glorious!

Here, it’s not as widespread. An increasing number of places are making an effort to be more allergy friendly but it also depends on your waitress/waiter and how much effort they put into it, sadly. I’m looking forward to bringing my toddler (with multiple food allergies) to travel in Europe. In the US, larger cities are a better bet or small mom-and-pop stores that like to make everyone feel welcome. As a family, we’re allium-free vegetarians which makes eating out EXTRA fun. We only put people through our questions when we’re traveling because we have no choice. It’s gotten a little more difficult since we now have food allergies thrown into the mix and we don’t want him to feel left out. A lot of his food allergies overlaps with other diets.

I love animals (but I’m only a vegetarian… not sure why I see a lot of vegan posts, haha… not complaining! I do cook vegan every so often.) but the only thing going veg did was that I didn’t feel like a hypocrite saying I loved animals. I see things in shades of grey. When I ate meat, everything was fair game as long as it was edible.

I pick and choose, like most humans, and even those who follow a cruelty free diet - or aim for it. The truth is you living means something else is harmed or died. It may not be direct, but it’s a fact. Ex: canned foods are allowed a certain amount of insects by the FDA… so canned beans are not vegan if you get right down to it. But it’s nice to do what one can and that’s what I’m aiming for.

It’s also really hard with it comes to pets. My husband has been vegetarian since he was young and he’s against pets but reluctantly agreed of we ever get one, it would need to be vegetarian. We did agree the house was meat-free so this makes sense. I love reptiles and this automatically knocks them off the potential pet list, sadly. I like seeing them in my garden though. We also know vegetarians who are huge cat lovers, which are definitely NOT adaptable to a vegan/vegetarian diet. So it’s really up to the person how far they want to take it into their life.

I currently don’t have pets because I have 2 young kids and I don’t fancy giving myself more things to do so I’m waiting until they’re old enough to help. I did grow up with a mix of pets with the biggest being a guinea pig. (I’ve always wanted a dog, but we’re thinking of a guinea pig in a few years.)

Oh, wow - what an excellent idea! And a terrible thought of a new hobby to look into. 🫣🤣 I also love mushrooms. Maybe I can research so I’ll be ready for that day I’ll finally drain a bottle and I’ll display them like trophies.

On that note, I haven’t emptied any bottles of ink yet. I have too many (is there such a thing?) for how little I’ve been writing recently. 😅

Waited 4 years after marriage to try for a kid because I was 29 at the time. I had read that once you hit 30, pregnancy complications increase, so 29 was perfect. Plus, my mom reminded me that she and my dad weren’t getting any younger and they could still help take care of any grandchildren now. So tempting; childcare is expensive! I was healthy ands kept active, though I was slightly squishy, not due to lack of trying. It was going fine but just 6 weeks later, I noticed stretch marks. Which was odd, because I definitely wasn’t showing, never mind my skin stretching enough to warrant stretch marks.

The anomalies continued but they weren’t out of the norm for pregnancies so my OB wasn’t terribly concerned.

It wasn’t until I came in for a check up at 24 weeks, the day after a week long trip to the east coast. My feet and ankles had been so swollen at the point I could only wear flip flops and even those dug into my feet. The east coast was nice and cool and wearing my flip flops in the melting snow got me funny looks but also FINALLY shrunk my feet down enough to wear tennis shoes. It was such a relief, but everything ballooned up on the flight back home even worse than before (I live by the coast in the US South - hot and humid).

This check up was my first with a new OB due to insurance problems but she was only my doctor for 5 minutes.

OB: Where are you going after this? Me: Work. OB: No, you’re not. You’re staying here.

And so I did. For a week.

Something was terribly wrong. My blood pressure was dangerously high and they thought I was going to get a stroke at any second. They figured out medications that week and I was kept in a room that was ready for an emergency c-section. They thought it was preeeclampsia, but eventually figured out it wasn’t after a series of tests and MRIs.

I was diagnosed with Cushing’s Syndrome. It’s relatively rare, but there’s a possibility that many who have it go undiagnosed because it usually doesn’t present itself until middle age or later. A number of the symptoms go hand in hand with aging: weight gain, hypertension, cardiovascular illnesses, diabetes, fragile/thin skin, slow healing, fatigue, purple stretch marks, weakness…. All due to too much cortisol.

The pregnancy triggered and accelerated an underlying health condition that I wasn’t aware of. If I had gotten pregnant in my early 20s, I could have avoided it (but a later pregnancy probably would have given me the same thing). My cortisol AND testosterone levels were off the charts. I had two masses on both of my adrenal glands and it was making everything go haywire. Because I was also pregnant, they didn’t do anything other than keep me stable. I went in for weekly check ups, all of which gave me a new piece of not-that-great news.

My health took a complete 180 after that visit at 24 weeks and I moved in with my parents. I was dependent on others since I was so weak I’d get tired just walking a few steps or holding up a toothbrush for 2 minutes to brush my teeth. I took naps every 2 hours or so. I was on a regimen of meds that got me full that didn’t help, especially once I developed ascites and I could no longer eat more than 1/2 cup of food/liquids at a time. I was HUGE, reminiscent of the humans from WALL-E and things were difficult. I couldn’t sleep, needed help with the littlest of things, it was terrible.

At the end, I gained 8 lbs of liquid per week. I thought I was going to burst!

My daughter was born at 28 weeks after another “routine” visit and she wasn’t responding to stimuli. Thankfully, she’s fine now but she was only 1 lbs 6 oz at birth. I gained about 65 lbs with the pregnancy and topped off at just under 200 lbs the night before the c-section.

I had surgery to remove the larger mass (thankfully benign) a month after and then I made no cortisol. I was now dependent on medication for the next two years because my body didn’t make any cortisol at all. Balance is key!

I still have annual check ups with my endocrinologist, since I still have one mass left. My body will never be the same - loose skin, stretch marks everywhere. I feel more tired overall (though my doctors said that my previous state of being full of energy all the time wasn’t normal either).

I also had my second child after my body normalized again. His pregnancy was normal though I still had a c-section due to the initial incision being in a way that the chance of literal rupture was increased to 30 or 40% and they didn’t want to risk it. In all honesty, the first one wasn’t that bad. Because so many things kept on happening, nothing phased me and I very much rolled along with it.

But everything changed. Not just my body, but nothing went according to plan. My mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer a few months after my firstborn’s birth and she passed 2 years later. My kids are too much for only my father so I ended up being a stay at home mom for 4 years after 2-3 years of trying to work full time as a mom to a nanopreemie. It was exhausting. I’m working again now though. And I’m taking up taekwondo again (I earned my black belt at one point), though mostly just as a way to stay active.

I’m not sharing this to scare you, but to prepare you that it’s good to have an idea/goal, but be prepared for anything. Don’t be so set in your plans and expectations that the opposite happens and you won’t recover.

I don’t regret becoming a mom, though it certainly isn’t easy. There are moments that I love it! And other moments that I wanted to tear my hair out and find a cave to live alone for a year. I never did experience a normal pregnancy or birthing experience though. Haha. But that’s generally life. And I learned about the limitations of my body. I used to think my body was great, took pride in how I wasn’t like my sister or many other females who cared about more superficial things and were too feminine for me. (Mostly, I was comforting myself that I couldn’t fit in with my own gender.) I could keep up with the guys! Turns out it was just major hormone imbalances (and my personality) that would have been my downfall eventually. Haha… this way, we found out and it was treated and we’re keeping an eye on it.

Look on the bright side, right?

You can do it! I don’t think anyone can be 100% ready for a baby. I think because you’re asking about it, you’re a step further than some others because you’re trying. Even if you have one kid, each child is different and that goes for the pregnancy and their personality as they grow. Just be prepared that the kid(s) are now first in your life. I think that’s the biggest change because a lot of it is mental.

Mine were great before kids. After kids? Now I know why so many complain. Major cramps the first 2 days with general gushing action for the first 3 days. I have a higher than average pain tolerance but some of those cramps make me freeze and hold my breath until it passes.

I get irritated more quickly and my energy levels are low for about 4 days.

I dislike them. But I’ve learned to go with it. It’s temporary at least.