They’re awful people.

They’re tiny, tiny little Hitlers, all of them……Donald Glover

If I had to sum up motherhood in one philosophical statement it would be this: They come out of the womb as narcissists, and you have eighteen years to try to change that. If, by the time they move out of your house, they are able to consider others with some level of empathy, attend to the feelings of others, and see the world outside themselves and the people who inhabit it as valid and important, you’ve done your job.

Most people dislike the idea of their own kid being a narcissist, but hear me out. Babies have absolutely no concept of thinking about how others are feeling. In fact, developmentally, at first they don’t even understand that other people are separate from them. Other people function only to meet their needs, be it food, comfort, or changing.

I found parenting newborns to be particularly difficult be- cause they don’t give you much positive feedback. My first child joined our family at six months old. On my first day as a mom, he was reacting to me (and sleeping through the night can I get an … Continue reading..