top of page

They Say Parenting is Hard

Writer's picture: Danielle CrawfordDanielle Crawford



They say parenting is hard. They say waking up multiple times a night is hard. They say giving up your freedom for a tiny person is hard.

They are right.

They say chasing around a toddler when you desperately need rest is hard. They say being the one in the family to remember all the things everyone needs is hard. They say giving up your pre-baby body, your boobs, your personal space is hard.

They are right.

But what has been the hardest thing for me isn’t physically draining at all…

The hardest thing about parenting for me is all mental.

It’s the constant worry about am I doing a good enough job raising him? Am I making sure he’s developing correctly? Am I making sure he’s not getting too much TV even though sometimes it’s all I can do to have a minute to cook or fold laundry. Am I making sure to give him enough different types of foods to expand his palate? (I know, I know he will end up eating chicken nuggets and fries off the floor no matter how well he eats as a baby. Everyone tells me.)

Am I making sure to have enough conversation with him throughout the day to build his vocabulary? Am I signing enough to him? Am I showing him enough attention?

Am I making him feel safe and comfortable with his little daily routine? Am I doing too much of a routine and making him rigid?

Am I making sure he gets enough day time sleep so that he will have good night time sleep? Am I nurturing him enough to foster independence or too much to keep him attached? Am I doing the right thing by helping him soothe or messing up by not teaching him to self-soothe?

Am I keeping him healthy with vitamins and probiotics? Should I put him in childcare while I work out so he can build an immune system or protect him from germs and keep him home? Am I using natural methods to help his immune system fight colds?

Am I letting him be adventurous and problem solve or hovering too much? Am I providing enough experiences to stimulate his brain throughout the day or making him bored by staying home?

(Let’s not forget mental load of keeping a household going with laundry, dishes, cooking and cleaning.)

All of these things go through my mind on a daily basis. If that’s not mentally draining, I don’t know what is. Why do we put the pressure on ourselves? Ultimately, we just want our kids to turn out to be good humans who can function in society right? So I think we can accomplish that without doing everything perfectly. cough cough get that through your thick skull, Danielle.*

So when they said parenting would be hard, I was prepared more for the physical demands rather than mental. I was prepared to play through sleep deprivation. I was ready for messes, loud noises, and poop explosions, but I wasn’t prepared for the brain scramble that is mothering. I wasn’t prepared for the pressure to get everything right.

I also wasn’t prepared with how insanely in love I would be with a tiny human that gets all of me and leaves me tuckered out at the end of each day, preparing to do it all again tomorrow.

Feel free to share with a Mama you think is doing great

15 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page