10 Things Most Parents Wish They Had Done Differently

Everyone has regrets, even parents. We look back and say, “Wow, I could have done things better.” I don’t believe we should make ourselves feel guilty, but we can pass those “could haves” on to new parents so they improve their lives and relationships. I’ve been talking to a lot of parents lately, and here are some things I’ve heard them say they wish they could have done differently.

1. “I wish I had made the special occasions more special.”

You don’t have to throw a Pinterest-quality birthday party every year, but many parents wish they had celebrated the little things more, like good report cards and lost teeth. Eventually your kids will do their celebrating largely on their own.

2. “I wish I didn’t compare children.”

This is a tough one, and every parent is guilty of it, but most won’t admit it. At some point you probably noticed another kid the same age as yours who walked sooner or spoke sooner. There are too many variables at play to compare children.

3. “I wish I had made them pitch in more.”

Sure, it’s faster to do the work yourself when they’re young, but then we end up with kids and teenagers who can’t do basic things for themselves.

4. “I wish I was less serious.”

A lot of moms and dads are so concerned with their kids’ development that they’re too hard about everything. Will one extra cookie really hurt?

5. “I wish I ignored other people’s advice.”

Parents tend to get a lot of advice from one another, but it’s largely useless. No one knows your child like you do. If you try to compare one person’s situation to yours, you’ll always be disappointed.

6. “I wish I didn’t buy so many toys.”

Have you ever looked at the mound of toys and wondered “why?” Honestly, kids don’t need rooms full of toys and the clutter can actually make play time harder.

7. “I wish we took more vacations.”

You don’t need a ton of money for a family vacation. Even a weekend of camping counts as family quality time. Work/school weeks are forgettable, but vacations make memories.

8. “I wish I was more affectionate.”

Affection goes a long way. A simple hug or kiss on the cheek is a quick way to express a ton of emotion.

9. “I wish I spent alone time with my kids individually.”

If you have more than one child, it’s an absolute must that you create some alone time for you and each one so they know that their relationship with you is strong. This also helps pacify sibling rivalry.

10. “I wish I relaxed more.”

Life is short. There’s no reason to spend even a moment of it feeling stress. Don’t waste your precious free moments with your kids worrying about all the goings-on of life. Stay in the moment and enjoy your kids.

Also read: Raising Socially Confident Children

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Written by Stephanie Parker from Sleepingbaby.com, inventors of the Zipadee-Zip

The motto for Sleeping Baby, makers of the Zipadee-Zip, is: "Inspiring Dreams One Night at A time," and that, in a nutshell, is how it all started…with one little dream that has since become the Parker family's reality. When Brett and Stephanie Parker's daughter, Charlotte, was born, the feeling that welled up inside of them was indescribable; they never realized until first looking into those baby blues of hers that they were even capable of that kind of love.

When it was time to transition baby from swaddling, the Parkers tried every sleep sack on the market and every swaddle weaning trick they could find for nearly two weeks and nothing worked to get baby Charlotte to fall and stay asleep.

Stephanie became determined to restore sleep and sanity to their household and set out to find a solution that would soothe Charlotte's startle reflex and provide her the cozy womb-like environment she loved so much but still give her the freedom to roll over and wiggle around in her crib safely. Out of sheer desperation and exhaustion, the Zipadee-Zip was born. The first Zipadee-Zip(R) Stephanie put together on her little sewing machine worked like magic!

To date tens of thousands of Zipadee-Zips have been sold and all from word-of-mouth marketing. It is so rewarding for the Parkers to see other parents and babies getting the sleep they both need and deserve!

Interested in writing a guest blog for Sleeping Baby? Send your topic idea to pr@sleepingbaby.com.

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