Being a parent is one of the most joyful, rewarding and exciting things you will ever do in your entire lives. But let’s be honest with ourselves. It’s also possibly the single hardest, most stressful thing you’ll ever do as well. For every moment where your little ones are angels who you wouldn’t change for the world, there are just as many (if not more) where you lock them in a soundproof room and throw away the key! Of course, that’s an exaggeration, but it’s true that parenting can be pretty stressful at times. And some of those times are even more stressful than others. Here are the three most stressful things about parenting. If you have kids, you’ll understand and if you don’t… Well, you have been warned.
Bedtime
Ah, bedtime. Filled with images of cuddles, storytime, and your little one’s cherub-like faces as they drift off into a peaceful slumber. Then those images are rudely interrupted by tantrums from overtired children desperate to stay up and seemingly endless trips to the toilet. It’s ironic that trying to convince your kids to lie down and go to sleep can leave you longing for your bed quite so much. Do they not realize what they’re missing?! It can be especially difficult if you know, in the back of your mind, that there’s a pile of washing up and tidying left to do before you can actually relax!
Travel
We all love to take trips with our families. And kids adore the chance to explore new places and see new things. If only they enjoyed actually getting to those places just as much. Any parent who’s spent more that half an hour in the car with children is more than familiar with the standard questions of “are we there yet?” and, of course, more trips to the toilet! It can be a real challenge when you’re trying to drive as well as entertaining kids on long trips. If you’re lucky, there will be two adults so that one can entertain the little ones while the other drives. If you’re not so lucky then you’d better get ready for some loud car singalongs to drown out the sound of “he hit me!” and “she’s on my side!”
Getting up in the mornings
See, this is proof that children simply make no sense whatsoever. You fight and you struggle to get them to bed. And eventually you win and they drift off. But when it comes time to wake up in the morning and get ready for school, suddenly they love nothing more than snuggling up and staying in bed! Where was this attitude the night before?! Trying to prise a grumpy child out of bed for breakfast can be like trying to pull your car to work instead of driving it (and about as time-consuming.)
Of course, with all the stress of these things (and countless others), in the end, the wonderful moments outweigh them by far. Every stressful moment melts away when you’re reminded of how funny, sweet and wonderful kids can be, and how lucky you are to have them.
