parenting: the 2nd oldest pyramid scheme

When we were trying to have kids, our friends who already had them were elated, telling us what great parents we would be, how much we would enjoy it, how our children would play together, how much having a baby enriched their lives and brought them closer together, etc, etc. Now that we are expecting, when we talk to those same friends and we hear their children screaming in the background, all they can say is “This is what you have to look forward to. Good luck.” I cant help but feel that someone got one over on us. I imagine we feel the same way people did when they got their first Amway sales kit in the mail. And just like our friends with kids, the Amway people probably went on and on, telling them what great sales people they would be, how much they would enjoy it, and how selling Amway enriched their lives and brought them closer together. But instead of 4 cases of shampoo sitting our closet, we will soon have a baby. We cant wait to be parents,  but im still savvy enough to know that the sales pitch has changed.