Parenting is a rewarding adventure, but it comes with difficult and challenging moments. The journey is filled with countless moments that test our patience, resilience, and creativity—particularly during the first few years.
In this article, we’ll explore the tougher side of parenthood and share insights and tips for new parents to help you navigate these challenges. With practical advice and real-life tips, we aim to make your parenting journey a bit smoother and more manageable. Let’s dive in and discover what it takes to thrive as a parent, even when the going gets tough.
RELATED: Meaningful Ways To Express Gratitude And Give Back To Your Mother
Wondering If You’re Doing It Right
Becoming a parent is the single biggest change that a person can go through. And parents are, of course, desperate to get it right — they love their children and want to do what’s right for them. But there’s no way to know for sure that you are doing things correctly. As such, many parents have imposter syndrome or a nagging doubt that they’re messing up.
But let me tell you that’s never the case. If you’re focused on your baby, then you will be getting things right. Don’t worry about being the perfect parent. No one’s perfect. Just focus on being good enough, and don’t stress.
Lack of Sleep
Being a parent would be a lot easier — and a lot more fun — if you weren’t continually battling with exhaustion. It’s just a fact that you’ll be constantly feeling like you could sleep for several days if only you were given the chance. It’s unlikely that you’ll ever feel truly refreshed during the first months of your baby’s life, but there are ways to improve your energy levels. For instance, you can nap when your baby is sleeping during the day, alternate night ‘shifts’ with your partner so one of you can rest, and invest in your bedroom and routine to nudge yourself towards a good night of sleep.
Making Sure All Your Children Have Their Needs Met
There’s no denying that a new baby is very much the star of the show. It’s not so much that they’re more special than others in your family; just that they need more attention than others. While you might understand that this is why you’re focusing so much on their needs, it can be difficult for other children to understand why they’re being overlooked. Though it’s challenging, you’ll need to speak with your other kids and make sure that all of their needs are being met too. Ideally, though, they’d just intuitively understand.
Thinking You’ve Made Progress
Parenting, especially during the first couple of years, is a journey. And unfortunately, it’s often a non-linear journey. You might think that you’ve made progress in one area, only for the issue to return just when you thought it was time to move on. Sleep regression, can be difficult to handle because it influences your own tiredness levels; just as you thought you might be able to get consistent sleep again, your baby begins to show signs of a sleep regression, and you’re back to sleepless nights. When this happens, keep in mind that you won’t be back to square one — just keep doing the things you were doing before, and the issue will disappear almost as quickly as it arrived.
Lack of Personal Time
It’s normal for new parents to say that they feel that they’re losing themselves. After all, when you become a parent, you won’t have much time to do all those things that you normally like to do. This is something that you’ll just have to suck up for a little while. During the early months, you really are like a servant to your baby’s needs. But don’t worry — as everyone says, this period will pass eventually, and you’ll be able to return to being “you.”
When possible, look at carving out some time for yourself. Even spending an hour listening to your favorite podcast can make a big difference.
Partner Issues
It’s common for parents to become a little distant and even argue during the first months of their baby’s life. And that shouldn’t be all that surprising. Both individuals are living through a stressful period where they’re not sleeping. Plus, since duties have been split, they’re usually not spending all that much time together anyway.
It’s recommended to, first and foremost, show kindness to your partner. They’re living a crazy experience too! In addition, it can be worthwhile asking your parents or someone you trust to look after your child on occasion, which will allow you and your partner to have a date night. Sometimes, problems can be solved just by having a little bit of fun together.
All-Consuming Focus
How can one little human demand so much attention? Your baby will require a lot of time and effort. When you’re not looking after them, you’ll be sleeping, cleaning the house, or taking care of about a million other things on your to-do list.
With such a hectic schedule, you won’t have time — or the mental capacity — to pay attention to other things that are going on. Celebrity gossip, news, what’s going on in your friends’ lives: they’ll all be a mystery to you for a little while. At least you’ll have a lot to catch up with once you finally have space to give something else some attention!
It Goes By So Fast
Finally, perhaps one of the less fun aspects of parenthood that only becomes apparent later down the line: it goes so fast! When you’re in the middle of looking after your newborn baby, you’ll pray for when things are a little calmer. When those days come, you’ll realize just how quickly the time went, and that you’ll never get them back. For this reason, it’s important not to wish away your baby’s early months. They might be challenging, but they also contain a lot of magic and special moments. As such, it’s recommended to find ways to appreciate the moment that you’re living through. Meditation, gratitude journals, and making space to do nothing will all help show you the value of the experience.
You’ll also like this:
7 Ways To Banish Dry Skin this Winter
Leave a Comment