7 Things to Tell Yourself When Times are Tough
Parenting is a weird mix of frustration and delight, fear and joy. You’ll deal with tantrums, arguments, and injuries. But there’s also lots of hugs and smiles. When times are tough, sometimes you need to close your eyes and repeat some mantras to refocus yourself on the positive.
1. “I am enough.”
There’s a tendency for parents to feel like they aren’t good enough for their kids. They don’t spend enough time with them, provide enough things or give them the best home. But all you can do is your best and trust that your child will appreciate your effort and hard work.
2. “Stay in the moment.”
As parents we juggle a million things every day. Between meals, homework, soccer practice, your job, and in my case, a business, it can be overwhelming. But life is usually a lot simpler than we make it. Solve the problem in front of you right now. Then solve the next, then the next. Multi-tasking and planning are good, but don’t stress yourself.
3. “It’s not supposed to be easy.”
They say anything that’s easy isn’t worth doing. If being a parent were easy, I think there’s more you can do. That’s not to say parenting isn’t enjoyable, but it’s always going to be a challenge. Once you master something, a new obstacle presents itself. That’s the way it’s supposed to be and you shouldn’t feel down on yourself if it’s hard. That said…
4. “This will pass eventually.”
There will be moments during your child’s development that will want to make you scream. Why is he so fascinated with climbing up the banister? Why does she hide crayons under the couch? When is he going to stop spitting up? In time, all these struggles will fade.
5. “I have to enjoy this now.”
You’ve surely glanced at your child and wondered where your little tot went. One day your babe is helpless in the bassinet, the next day she is running around the playroom. When the challenges of life take you away, remember to keep yourself in the moment and enjoy what you have now.
6. “I need to let go.”
Don’t let things consume you. A bad day is just that… a day. It ends and a new one begins just as simply. So your child rolled off the couch and you feel awful, but let it go and continue being a good parent. There’s no need to dwell on our mistakes. Learn from them and move on.
7. “Kids will be kids.”
Why did your son smack that other boy? Because he’s a kid and doesn’t understand proper social conventions. Yes, he needs to be disciplined and steered down the right path, but there’s nothing fundamentally flawed with him that can’t be fixed. Don’t expect your children to act like anything other than, you know, children.
Written by Stephanie Parker from Sleepingbaby.com, inventor 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!
For more information, visit sleepingbaby.com.
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