Parenting. It’s hard. It’s glorious. It’s everything in-between. One thing that helps is being able to commiserate with others who are experiencing the stress. These parents got real with the joys, and the tribulations. Parents of the world, you are not alone. It might seem obvious, but when you are singing the same nursery song for the thousandth time and it isn’t even noon, your brain is mush. Let’s take a look at the nitty gritty.
I Can’t Pretend To Like Pretend
Little kids like to “play pretend”. And fostering imagination is considered helpful for brain development. Neuroscientists link children’s early years with the healthy development of the brain. But what if playing pretend with your kid rots your brain?
“”I hated playing with my kids. I loved doing stuff with them, but actually playing is torture. Now that they’re all older, it’s easier because the pretend-play era is over. Thank god.”
“”I HATE playing pretend with a passion. It literally puts me to sleep. I’ll have energy, then five minutes into playing pretend it’s hard to keep my eyes open. Not only that, but the little dictator that is my 5-year-old demands I ‘say this, do that.’ AAAAHHHGGGGHHHH!!”
At least we found this parent:
“I love watching my kids play pretend. They can be a mommy or a dinosaur, a doctor or a rock. I find it fascinating; it’s like I can see their brains at work. And then I think, whoa, I ‘made’ that little brain!”
It Aint No Walk In The Park
Taking kids to the park and helping your kids participate in team sports are rights of childhood. Kids love it. But how about the adults?
“I genuinely love being a mother, but I freaking hate going to the park. Any park or playground can burn to the ground.”
“It’s beyond boring, inconvenient to go, filthy, germ-infested, and unsafe. I live in an area that’s hot eight months out of the year and it’s actually torture to have to stand on a concrete playground in the sun. Not to mention forced conversation with other parents. Hard pass!”
“I hate extracurricular activities. Sure, let’s add more chaos to the schedule that requires time and money we don’t have, and sit with parents who go wild at tee-ball games as if the college recruiter is there offering scholarships.”
Privacy? What’s That?
It begins in the delivery room. Everything is hanging out for all to see. And it’s downhill from there. For many years you will not be going to the bathroom alone, and your sleep schedule is definitely not yours anymore.
“”The lack of privacy and the expectation that you’re OK with it. Want to pee? BOOM! There’s a toddler flinging the door open asking for a cuddle. Want to have a shower? BOOM! There’s someone busting into the room asking you to open their yogurt.”
“I hate the constant feeling of being ‘on call.’ My kids will be playing quietly, so I try to take that moment to do something productive, only to be interrupted with a kid on the toilet screaming to be wiped, or a kid needs a snack, or siblings fighting, or just one following you to other room asking what you’re doing.”
Worry About Everything
Babies are 100% dependent on us. We are now responsible for a mini human being. O. M. G. If you spend too much time thinking about that, you will be overwhelmed with, well, everything. Like these parents.
“I hate the fear that came with having children. I was so carefree before, but now I worry about everything under the sun!”
“Climate: the planet is on fire! Country: guns, book bans, abortion bans — everything feels like a dumpster fire. School: what if they get bullied? What if they fail? Parenting: am I scarring them for life? Did I react to this situation properly? And as a bonus, my brain sometimes spirals to these crazy life or death what-ifs involving my kids and it’s terrifying.”
“It feels like the whole world is going down the toilet. Nazis are back, we keep moving closer to Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the world is dying, rent and necessities are so expensive they feel like luxuries. What did I bring my kid into?!”
The Intensity
Along the same lines, there is an intensity to life that just wasn’t there before.
“It NEVER ENDS. You are never NOT a parent, and your kid will always need something from you, whether physically, mentally, financially, or emotionally. Mine’s an adult and they are still so needy sometimes it makes me want to just move and not tell anyone where I went.”
“The pressure to always look like you’re being a good parent in public. There are so many rules for parenting now and it’s nearly impossible to follow all of them all the time. I’m doing the best I can, shouldn’t that be enough?”
Sheer Exhaustion
Sheer unadulterated exhaustion. There is a reason sleep deprivation is an actual torture technique.
“It’s exhausting. I’ve gotten off social media because everyone’s content hurts my feelings. Single friends going to a concert? Ouch. Friend with three kids going to Aspen and smiling on top of a mountain? Ouch. Everything I thought I was going to do as a parent, I haven’t. My brain knows it’s due in large part to my child’s personality (I didn’t take that into account), but my heart says it’s because I’m not trying hard enough. Everything is hard to do, and every day I question if I’ve done ‘enough.”
“I’m so tired of being a parent. I love my children dearly, they are my world…but parenting is awful. No one ever tells you how absolutely endless it all is. My youngest is 5 months old and he never sleeps. Ever. I’m running on about 3-4 hours of sleep a night while working a full-time job, with a 5 year old in school as well. My husband definitely puts in an equal share, but in the early hours of the morning we’re always at each other’s throats. I just want this baby to sleep. I’ve no energy for my other son, so I feel guilty that I’m not the mother I should be to him. I also feel such guilt for resenting an innocent baby who didn’t ask for any of this. I feel so hopeless.”
“Dude I’m an uncle and I get tired just watching my sister take care of her kid.”
Do As I Say, Not As I Do
We’ve all been there.
I’m literally all ‘no darling, you can’t have any more chocolate/ crisps whatever, it’s not good for you’. Then I stand in the kitchen main lining coffee and chocolate.”
I was at the store with my 5 year old. She was looking at toys. “Can I have this one? Can I have this one?” “No. We’re not buying any toys today.”
Then of course, I see something and think, “Although… that’s a pretty cool toy…”
Guilt Comes Into Play
Guilt is not a great emotion, but several parents identified feeling guilty:
“You are made to feel guilty if you want to spend a weekend (or more) without your kids. Sometimes I just want to feel like myself again and not be a mom, or a boss, or a short-order cook, or a maid, or a referee. I just want to feel like the person I was before all the responsibility, just for a day, or even a few hours. It’s OK to need a break whenever you feel the need!”
Often One Parent Is The Disciplinarian
“”I HATED being the bad guy. I always had to be the one who set the punishment and had to dole it out. I love the relationship my daughter and I have now that she’s grown. So much better.”
Setting A Good Example Is Tough: Parenting Isn’t For Sissies
The hardest part of parenting is setting a good example:
Because they are demon spawn…. in all honesty, children are usually a product of their parent(s). So, if your child has no boundaries or consequences and spoilt little twits, that is the answer to why children suck. But hey, say hello to Western Society….
You cannot love your kids too much. You can, however, love your children badly.
You can coddle your kids too much. You could try to insist that other people hold your child up on a pedestal as well. That would be disastrous. You may end up raising either a narcissist, a social pariah or both.
You can kill them with kindness though. By never saying no, nor setting limits and boundaries, or teaching them basic social graces.
Loving Your Kids vs. Liking Them
Loving and liking are not the same thing…
“I love her deeply, but if she were my husband, I’d have divorced her long ago!”
Parents Of Older Kids Get Wistful
“How lonely it can be once they hit their mid-teen and late-teen years. You were the literal sun of their universe, and then one day, not so much — and oftentimes, not at all. It’s natural and is what is supposed to happen, but goddamn it, I miss being the sun.”
Universal Gems
We will end with some universal gems that all parents can relate to. Halleluiah.
“No one really knows what it’s like to raise a kid until you’re already in the thick of it.”
“As the children, no matter how old we are, we have to realize and accept that our parents do the best they can with what they got.”
“I’m just trying to survive and make sure everyone gets out alive.”
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18 of the World’s Deadliest Foods: How Many Are You Eating?
Whether you eat to live, or live to eat, let’s make sure you live to see another day! These are some of the world’s deadliest foods. They can bring on extreme symptoms, ranging from paralysis to seizures, choking and even death, so don’t go tucking these into your lunchbox. Click for 18 of the World’s Deadliest Foods: How Many Are You Eating?
10 Of The Worst Tasting Drinks People Pretend To Like
Hold onto your taste buds, because we’re about to embark on a flavor-filled adventure through the realm of beverages! Sure, we all need water to survive, but let’s be real – drinks are so much more than just basic hydration. Recently, the question of which beverages people secretly think taste awful sparked a fiery debate. Boozy elixirs, non-alcoholic refreshments, and everything in between were thrown into the mix. Brace yourself as we unveil the truth behind the drinks we pretend to love. Get ready for a wild ride of taste revelations! Read 10 Of The Worst Tasting Drinks People Pretend To Like
14 Of The Craziest Hacks People Use Mayonnaise For – Even In The Bedroom!
After you click through this slide show you will never look at a jar of mayo the same way again. Trust us. Click for 14 Of The Craziest Hacks People Use Mayonnaise For – Even In The Bedroom!
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Click for Don’t Fall For These 17 Foods That Pretend To Be Healthy
17 Of The Most Expensive Foods In The World: Would You Pay This Much To Eat Any Of These?
These days our food budget is not going very far, even for everyday foods. And yet, there are still those who seek out extravagant foods, regardless of price. I guess we can live vicariously through these pictures. Maybe someday someone will bestow a 4-pound white truffle upon us, but until then, this will have to suffice.
Click for 17 Of The Most Expensive Foods In The World: Would You Pay This Much To Eat Any Of These?
19 Of The World’s Most Overrated Foods
We have foods we love, and those we won’t touch. We all have our own likes and dislikes, but what are the most overrated foods? That was the question posed on this Reddit thread by Even_Cause_3478. There were a lot of opinions. Some made sense to us, and some were things we had never thought of before!
What is the most overrated food in your opinion?
Click for 19 Of The World’s Most Overrated Foods
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Have you ever wondered What Happens If You Give Birth On a Plane? Who delivers the baby? Where do you deliver the baby? What is the child’s citizenship, and do they get free trips for life?
