It's Okay to Think That Parenting is Hard

Parenting is the best, most fulfilling job on this earth, but it is also one of the most grueling jobs in the world. You are at this job for 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, everyday. Even when your child is not with you, they are never far from your mind - from needing to stop at the grocery to pick up food to cook for dinner to your need to get clothes washed. Once you become a parent, one thing never changes, you are forever a mom or dad.

Parenting is hard work. When you first become pregnant, you read books that inform you on what to expect. You know once you have a baby, you will have sleepless nights, midnight feedings, potty training, trips to the doctor, and everything else that goes along with having a baby.

However, once your child reaches a certain age, it is difficult to find time to read books to prepare you for what to expect next. Even one of the most popular books for pregnant women, "What to Expect", only goes up to the toddler years.

As your child grows and changes it can be so rewarding, but it is also hard and challenging. Parents question themselves all the time: Am I doing the right thing? Front or back to sleep? What if the baby does not sleep as good on her back? Should I spank or use time-out? How do I get him to quit biting other children? Is he old enough to sleep at his friends house? Should I push him to study more? Should I encourage him to be more involved in school? Is he sick enough to need to see a doctor? Should I let him get his drivers' license? The questions go on for the rest of our life with our children- even once they are grown.

Parents need to take into account that raising children is a tedious job. There are times when all parents, at some time or another, have been stressed out. I have been stressed out to the point to where I could not wait for bedtime- just to have an escape from the stress. Some parents, maybe even some good friends of yours, choose not to talk about how hard it is. It is almost like it is a big conspiracy. For some women, they think that if they say parenting is hard - judgment might be made towards them and someone might think that they don't like being a parent. I think for most people, this could not be further from the truth. I have not met any parent who has said that they wish they were not a parent.

Just remember that parenting is hard. One thing that I have realized as my child gets older, things that I used to worry about really should not have been as huge as a concern as it was at the time. I fretted over the fact that at two and a half, my son had no interest in potty training. I was worried that I was doing something wrong, since he had no interest in it. My mother broke it down for me. Her advice "don't worry- he is not going to be 7 still in diapers, he will do it when he is ready and not a minute before".

Do not let anyone tell you that you are a bad parent if you think parenting is hard. It is ! And if anyone tells you any different, they are lying to you !