A Parents Bag Packing Joy
As parents throughout our lives we seem to be constantly packing and unpacking bags!
It starts in the final stages of pregnancy. People constantly ask the question "Have you packed your bag yet?". Expectant mums who are organised will already have their bag packed, but for others less prepared this may be a last minute task.
My theory is the labour bag is just the start of things to come with regard to your parental responsibilities when it comes to packing bags. In a sense it helps prepare you for the constant packing and unpacking of bags which goes hand in hand with having children.
It all starts with the "nappy bag". The majority of new parents take a considerable amount of time to choose the perfect nappy bag. For a start it has to be practical and feature all the necessary handy pockets to hold wipes, nappies, cream, change of clothes, bottles etc and of course it has to be fashionable. After all the nappy bag is a "must have" item which will hardly ever leave your side for the next few months. In addition, most new parents prefer the nappy bag to be unisex in style since both of you (I hope!) will have hands on experiences when it comes to bringing up your baby.
Having said this, we all must recognise that there is a difference between the male and female perspectives when it comes to packing the nappy bag. Men often have the view women over-pack but I would strongly dispute this fact based on true experiences where my "over-packing" has helped avoid a potential catastrophe or possible baby melt down! My partner on the other hand seems to believe in the less is more theory. He is quite happy to venture out of the house packing as little as possible. I believe this too may have some advantages, the main one being children become more resilient - especially when is comes to being cold, wet, hungry or sunburnt!
The nappy bag is the first in a long succession of bags to be packed for your children. Since I became a parent I have become the Master of Bag Packing. When the nappy bag era was over we moved onto the nursery/daycare bags, then progressed onto kinder bags and finally we reached the dizzy heights of the school bag! Let me make this clear, these are just the normal everyday bags, lest we forget the more specialist bags such as swimming, play dates, beach bags which we are also required to pack. In addition there is the "just in case bag" which usually resides in the back of the car and contains a change of clothes so every unforeseen eventuality is covered.
In all honesty, the joy and pride experienced when I packed my first "nappy bag" for my daughter has begun to dwindle as the years have gone by and the volume and variety of bag packing has intensified. I believe the only way to be set free from this task is to teach your children (when they are old enough)to take on the responsibility and become Master Bag Packers themselves!
by: Jane O'Neill
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