By Amanda Stephens
We’ve all been there as parents.
We find ourselves in those trying situations with our kids when we think, “I saw that going differently,” or “I didn’t even see that coming.”
Parenthood requires more physical stamina, more understanding and patience and more grace under pressure than we probably thought we could ever handle.
When it comes to raising kids, we’re all on the same playing field just doing the best we can and learning as we go. We all experience the wins that make us swell up with pride and the parenting fails that keep us humble.
When the days seem too long or the problems too big to handle, where do we turn for support and encouragement? We all need help laughing at ourselves in the chaos or believing that there’s hope that we’ll get through the tough times.
When a quality conversation with your spouse consists of talking about baby poop, when stepping on Legos is a regular occurrence, when you said you’d never drive a minivan — these are the ins and outs of modern-day parenting.
Enjoy these tongue-in-cheek observations on every stage of the parenting journey.
Did you ever hear the phrase that having a toddler is like having a blender without the lid? Yep, it’s totally true. Once they start walking, any cabinet or dresser drawer is fair game for the curious tyke.
Before kids, your house probably looked grown-up. However, once you add your wobbly little angel, it’ll soon be “redecorated” with dirty fingerprints, unsupervised crayon art and toys waiting to be stepped on.
Some days, it will feel like a victory if you’ve just kept your little one alive. Days when you say no to playing with their toys in the toilet, using the Desitin as a dip for the Goldfish snacks or eating that piece of chewed gum on the sidewalk. Putting out such fires makes you a rock star!
There’s nothing that can really prepare a parent for potty training. The process will at some point be painfully messy. Like the time I noticed one of our boys had peed in the bathroom trash can just to see how much he could fill it up. Or the accidents that happen in the most unfortunate of public places. Can I mention that pools completely stressed me out during the potty training stage?
Do you feel like raising a teen has you frantically adapting to a world of ever-changing technology and social media? Before this parenting stage, did you even know or care what a Bitmoji was? Do you find yourself scratching your head at new definitions for such common words as “broccoli” or trying to interpret your teen’s texts that consist only of emojis?
Do you feel like life is turning out to be harder and messier than you expected? You’re not alone!
Read more about how to gain hope and a new perspective.
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