No Explanation, No Apology
Adjustment to Parenthood, an RfRx talk with Kayce Hodos, LCMHC
Submitted by Jenna Chiles
One of the hardest things I ever did was become a parent. Up to the point egg met sperm, my whole life had been just for me. I could go where I wanted when I wanted (for the most part). If I wanted to take a nap on my day off, I totally could. Every second of my day belonged to myself. My body and personal space belonged to myself. Then, out pops this screaming little alien that loses her shit if she’s not attached to my breast at all times. I can’t take a nap on my day off — I have no days off. I can’t take a shit without getting someone else to cover me. All the seconds of my day are now devoted to keeping this little person alive. I have to do all this while my body reels from making a human and pushing her out of my birth canal. To say the least, first time parenting is challenging, but people want to help.
For the sake of brevity, I’m going to speak from my own perspective. I’m in a stable relationship with my husband, so in some regards parenting was easier. When he came home from work, I could pass the baby off to him and take a shower. In some regards, parenting in a straight relationship could be difficult. All the roles and duties were assumed, and I could feel the resentment forming when we would put our…
