teens

"Don't worry Ellen, sometimes we don't like our kids either."

Sure, we love them, but we don’t always like them.

Can you imagine being Ellen’s child? You would be the most well connected child in Hollywood, not to mention a killer dancer.

Alas, it is not meant to be, as we learnt when Ellen spoke to US Today‘s Matt Lauer recently.

While she did mention her age, 57, as a factor, her main reasons for not having a child were more unexpected.

“It seems long-term,” she laughed. “It seems like a commitment that you have to stick with. And I just don’t know if I can – it’s too risky. Like, what if I don’t like the kid?”

I was in stitches as she continued giving her reasons as to why she wasn’t going to have kids.

“What if it turns out that it’s not as cute as I wanted or as talented? I’m gonna compare it to all these kids that I have on this show that are so smart and so funny. And I’m like, ‘You are nowhere near these kids I had on today.'”

Never in my life did I ever think I would ever have any words of wisdom for Ellen. That is, until today.

Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de RossiImage via Instagram @theellenshow

Ellen, I want to let you in on a little secret.

No one actually likes their kids all of the time. No one.

Yes, sure, we love them no matter what but do we like them when they draw on our new leather lounge in permanent marker? No. Do we like them when they throw spaghetti over our newly mopped hard wood floors? No. Do we like them when they put a scratch on our brand new car? Nope.

And Ellen, let's face it, the kids you have on your show are freaks of nature. Most kindergarten kids get an award when they go a week without eating glue. They aren't studying Google learning the past world leaders.

The fact of the matter is you won't like your kids 24 hours 7 days a week. You just won't. At 3am when your 6-month-old hasn't slept more than 3 hours his entire life, you really struggle to like him. Sure, he's cute and all but just go the heck to sleep already, will you.

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My 7-year-old called me 'lazy' this week. I'd stayed up for 3 days with no sleep and it was to bake a cake for HIS birthday party and to take him on an outing for his actual birthday. And he had the hide to call me lazy. Do you think I liked him at that moment? Do you?

Being a parent is damn hard. And I'm not sure whether it's Hollywood's fault or it's just the fault of parents in general but admitting that we don't always like our kids seems to still be taboo.

No one actually tells you that you may not fall in love with your baby instantly, or that he may not be the prodigy you dreamed he would be (yes, sadly, this means no Ellen visit for us). Sometimes they don't sleep, they are dirty and grotty and as they get older they have attitude to boot.

When  you combine that all together it means that, yes, there will be days when you don't like your kids.

Will you love them always, of course, but will there be days where they drive you crazy and you wonder why you had kids at all? Hell yes.

Ellen, I hope you're listening because I doubt I am ever going to have another piece of advice for you, ever. You're amazing and you'd make a kick arse mum.

At what times have you found it hard to like your kids?

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