What do you feel when you see those cute couples( without children obviously) holding hands and walking around carefree in streets and malls? A bit jealous? Don’t worry! You have company. Most of the couples with kids, including myself, feel that way when they see newly married child-free couples because a kid brutally changes the equation and chemistry of a husband-wife relationship. Yes. Life before and after kid are poles apart. Here are are a few instances of how.
- Restaurants
I still remember the days when we used to go to fine dining restaurants relishing the different cuisines and indulging in sweet-talks.
Enter kids and now we take turns to gobble down food. Sweet talks are replaced with one of us pleading to our kid to behave and instead of holding each other’s hands we now hold our kid’s hands trying hard to restrain him from throwing the food and getting into other mischiefs. If there has been no melt down and the baby has had at least two spoons of food, we consider it a night well spent.
- Phone calls
In the early days of marriage when one of us go out of town, we used to spend hours on the phone describing every minute details of events that happened that day.
And now, the minute I lay my hands on the phone, the little one too wants it and this is the screen that is likely to appear. - Sex
Ah.. The intense passion you shared and the freedom to have sex anytime, anywhere. That was awesome. Isn’t it?
Now, we hardly have the energy and when we somehow find the energy, the baby with his extrasensory perception senses that “mom and dad is up to something without me” and starts crying right when things starts to spice up. - Television
This one is actually for better now. We don’t fight anymore for the remote to decide between the match or the rom-com. The ‘boss’ has decided it’s time for Pogo now and forever.
- Travels
” You guys are such travel freaks.” That’s what our friends used to tell us.
Now the very thought of travel gives me jitters as we have the company of a restless body ready to get into all sorts of trouble. It’s not a light travel anymore. We need to have endless supply of baby clothes, diapers, toys, snacks and amidst all these, find boot space for my teeny-weeny suitcase with a pair of clothes.
- Free Time There was a time when my hubby used to lie on my lap and I used to stroke my fingers through his hair while watching a movie and just have fun doing nothing.
Now? Free time? What does that mean? We have our little brat who keeps us on toes all the time.
- Conversation Remember those meaningful conversation you used to have with your partner about life, work, your passions and ambitions. That is a thing of past now. Now our conversations revolve around our baby with ” Baby hasn’t pooped for 3 days” talks.
- Cute Fights How I loved those pillow and tickling fights with my hubby!!!But we don’t have time for all that now. We are busy tackling our son like rugby pros to make his spit out the paper he just chewed!!!Fights are more like ” I did it last time, it’s your turn now” fights.
- Welcoming back from office There was a time I used to welcome my husband back from office with a hug and a drink.Now I just fling my kid to him and try to restore my lost sanity! Drink? GET ONE ON YOUR OWN!!!
- Nights We used to have nights where we rocked and danced at pubs and enjoyed ourselves.
Now, we do rock, not at the pub though. We rock our kid to sleep!!! The duration however remains the same.
