When you’re about to welcome a new one into the world, everyone tells you what a great experience it will be and how lucky you are. But no one tells you about the hard stuff!
Like everything else that is fulfilling and satisfying, raising a baby is a challenge as well. Most people don’t talk about the hurdles you might face when you’re raising a baby, especially in this day and age, and what ends up happening is that you’re often underprepared, mentally and emotionally as well.
In this article, we’re telling you about some of the challenges that you can expect to face when you decide to raise a baby. This article is purely for informational purposes, and to give new mothers and parents a look into what they might face, when they raise children. For more excellent parenting advice and articles like this, visit mom n kids.
Source: Claro Baby
Contents
1. Being a Constant Example
When you’re a parent, you are the first person that your child will look up to. Their primary source of interaction will be you, and you have to always set a good example. As your babies become toddlers and begin to develop mannerisms and such, they’ll start to imitate you and your behavior. Even as they grow up, your actions will influence their personality. This will continue for quite some time, and at every point of this journey, you will have to set a proper example. This means always being conscious about your actions, which as anyone will tell you, is no easy task.
2. Managing Your Work and Home
We always speak about work-life balance, and how important it is, but you never realize how difficult it actually is till you have a baby at home. If you’re a working parent, managing both a full-time job that comes with its own set of obligations and responsibilities and taking care of a newborn seems daunting, even in words. Getting your work-life balance right isn’t something impossible; tons of parents all over the world are doing it every day. But it can be quite a challenge in the beginning. A few tips that may help you have a good work-life balance include creating a schedule and not being afraid to take the help of multiple babysitters and family members.
Source: Baby Magazine
3. Pursuing Your Own Interests
People say that when you begin working full-time in a demanding job, the time and freedom to pursue your personal interests becomes a luxury. But when you become a parent, that “luxury” turns non-existent. For many of us, this might be a difficult pill to swallow but it is true. Your “me time” will dwindle, and adjusting to this change, especially if you’re someone for whom having some time alone is important, will be quite a hurdle. However, this isn’t to say that you can’t work around it. You can always take the help of family members, so that you can give yourself a break, every now and then.
4. Learning To Let-Go
Most parents think that this part comes when your children or child is all grown up, but the truth is even when your kid passes through the ages and moves from one part of childhood to the other, letting go of the instinct to keep them under your wing can be quite a challenge. As parents, it becomes second-nature for us to care for and nurture our children and make sure that they are under our protection, always. But as they grow up, and begin to slowly gain a sense of self, they will want to move away from being sheltered and start doing things on their own, even if this means taking a bath themselves or tying their shoes. A lot of times you may even be overcome with a sense of grief and loss. But the healthiest thing to do here is to accept that this is a natural part of life, and by giving them the independence they need, you will be sowing the seeds for a healthy parental relationship in the coming future.
Source: standard
5. Facing Constant Criticism
When you become a parent, one thing that you’ll constantly have to face is criticism. Though it may seem strange and illogical, it is true: people, especially experienced parents, tend to be overly critical of new parents. Regardless of what steps you take, even if they are working out perfectly for you and your child, you will face criticism from people for it. Facing such judgment all the time can make you feel like you’re doing something wrong, but that’s hardly the case. The only thing to do here is to ignore such remarks and do what you feel is best.
6. Everything Not Going To Plan
As we become parents, we begin to love planning and creating a set guideline for things that are about to come. When you’re raising a child, having things planned and organized can make you feel in control and ready to face things. But the truth is that the future is unpredictable, and even the best plans can go awry, and when you’re dealing with kids, this can happen quite often. Dealing with the idea that even if you plan to the best of your capabilities, things may not work out, is tough. But it makes you braver and teaches you to think on your feet.
Source: nordicnaturals
7. Coping With Emotions
Babies and toddlers have very strong emotions, and they aren’t afraid to show them. The constant crying, tantrums, and lashing out can be very hard to deal with, especially for new parents. Furthermore, the process of calming them down and lowering these emotions can be complicated and often unfruitful, especially if they are simply in the mood to throw a tantrum. Learning to navigate such situations is a hard journey and quite a big challenge, but it is nothing that can’t be figured out. Some helpful tips here would be to separate our children from the present environment and take them to a different room or area. Another is to distract them first and then speak to them calmly, as loud voices or shouting may trigger them even more.
