You were looking forward to those summer baseball games. You were looking forward to skiing together. You were hoping they’d follow you into the family business. You were hoping they’d look just like you. You wanted a girl. You prayed for a boy to carry on the family name.
And guess what? You didn’t get it. They hate baseball. They’re introverted instead of extroverted. They love art instead of technology. They’re physical where you’re cerebral. Whatever. We all had some hopes or expectations for what this parenting thing would be like, for what our kids would be like. The problem is that biology doesn’t care about your fantasies, and neither do the human beings you brought into this world.
The problem is that while you were mourning the kid you didn’t get, you’re cheating the kid that you did get. Because they are awesome. Literally, nothing like them has ever existed before. They have their own interests, their own dreams, their own vibe. That should excite you! Enter their world. Don’t make them conform to yours.
You got what you got and that makes you incredibly lucky. Embrace it. Celebrate it. Put your expectations aside, this is way way way better.