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How often have you as a parent, wished you could take a vacation day? Wished you could find a way to make it easier for yourself? The truth is, being a parent is one of the hardest jobs you could ever get hired to do. You are at the beck and call of someone who is between 20-inches and 20-feet tall. They dictate when you wake, when you sleep, and sometimes when you pee. Beyond that, not only do they control you, but you have to also teach them right and wrong. “No, you cannot live on soda and PB&J! Eat your peas…” Then, you flip the coin and a day goes right. You can focus on the cuddles and the laughter. It is a blessing and a curse and our goal is to help you keep the fun of it all!
Why Parenting is Hard
The simplest answer out there is, “Because it cant be easy to raise tiny humans to be perfect.” We aren’t born perfect. We are born not knowing and need guidance constantly.
The harder answer is a lot more complex. When we are growing up, we imagine ourselves being “better” parents to our kids. We imagine we will be the one who says, “yes” to 24/7 snack time, staying up all night, etc. Then we have them. We grow up and realize that snack time is not something we should do constantly. We want them to learn, we want them to be happy, healthy, and ultimately great adults. We don’t want to raise monsters.
Beyond that plan you have for yourself, you realize that all other plans go out the window, too. You can’t go out with friends, baby sitter is busy. You can’t eat dinner, baby is needing to be fed first. We can’t take a vacation, kids cannot miss that much school, rebellious teen says they refuse to go and by now you aren’t confident that teens should be left alone. What if they do something you wouldn’t approve of? It happens every day, but, “Not in my house!”
Stress and parenting go hand-in-hand. It starts the moment you see a line on a “pee-stick” and doesn’t go away as long as you draw breath. The good news is, you can have a vacation day. You can have a day where everything is grand.
Parenting Made Easier
You cant take all the frustration out of parenting, but you can learn ways to improvise without losing your sanity. To have happy, healthy kids, focus your energy on letting them see how you behave and encourage them to follow through. For instance, if you say, “No games after 9-pm, then don’t let them see you playing games.” This is an extreme example, but often we tell kids to do something without setting a good example for them to follow. “Do as I say, not as I do.”
Make plans for family game night and actually spend time talking out problems at school or bonding over a bowl of popcorn. The more you show them that you are there for the long haul, the more they will turn to you. Once you have that routine established, you will get more kisses, cuddles, and thank you’s than you can imagine. It will also allow you to relax and savor the moments a little more often.
Most Importantly- LAUGH OFF BAD DAYS!