Wouldn’t it be nice if parenting came with a manual? The kind you find tucked inside a furniture box you purchased at Ikea.
But who are we kidding? Even when given a manual, we don’t always get it right. There are always some screws left over, or some part is on backwards, and we have to do it all over again.
What I’m probably trying to say here is that no manual or amount of books can prepare you for the rollercoaster that parenthood is. Suddenly, you’re along for the ride, being yeeted into the trenches of taking care of a newborn without a wink of sleep, figuring it all out by trial and error. It changes parents in a way they couldn’t even imagine until it happens.
Parents know that this isn’t an exaggeration, it might even be an understatement. To show what parenthood really entails, we gathered the most relatable parenting memes from the Facebook page ‘Pregnant Belly Bump.’ It’s all just a scroll away!
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I think we already made it obvious that parents need all the help they can get when it comes to raising little ones. So we gathered all the nuggets of wisdom parents have shared with Bored Panda previously for parents who need a little guidance and reassurance that everything is going to be okay.
The first recommendation comes from transgender dad of six, Logan Blackburn-Issitt, who runs the Dad Business parenting blog. He says that having fun and learning to redirect and distract are crucial in parenthood.
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“Kids fighting over one colour pencil, you get really excited about something one of them has coloured. Kids getting frustrated about waiting at the doctor's, start having a sing song or play a game,” he explains.
“The best piece of advice I have is to try and make it fun. Look for the fun, the opportunities to play and laugh. Forget about the funny looks other people will give you and let your inner child out to play. It's so easy to get bogged down in adulting: money, time management, work, etc., but kids aren't affected by these so give yourself permission to forget about them for a while as well, go and play.”
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Parenting coach and founder of Be Kind Coaching, MegAnne Ford, says learning connection and understanding is another crucial thing that makes parenting easier.
"When a child is learning a new skill, building their ideas, or navigating through a hard moment, having their safe adult be right alongside them to help them make sense and navigate with them helps de-escalate any struggle," she says.
"Connection and understanding allow the child to be seen, heard, and understood in their truth and experience—and in turn teach them how to see that in others. There isn't much that can't be solved when the other person feels safe and connected."
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A dash of creativity is also required when you’re a parent. But creativity can sometimes be hard for adults to channel.
"I think that most adults stay out of the mess—emotional and creative—because they want to avoid it. They may even feel stressed and angry about the mess. So to protect themselves, they just avoid the creative options altogether. So I like to get really good at building the clean-up into the flow," Ford explained.
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She even kindly provided an example of how she employs creativity to tackle the mess.
”I was with two babies recently, one of them skipped their morning nap, so she was feeling a bit irritable so to do our art project together, which was painting a holiday wreath, I moved the project inside a plastic bag.
It allowed me to be able to introduce the art project in a new and creative way while also giving ourselves space to not push the moment past our abilities or energy level. It wasn't what was planned, but it was in a way better!" she shared.
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There's really no way to be prepared for parenthood 100%, and mom bloggers Annie Linder and Kate Kirk agreed, sharing the things they wish someone had told them before they entered motherhood.
“I wish someone had told me that it's okay not to love every moment of motherhood," shares Kate. "Between juggling their needs, work, and trying to maintain some sense of personal identity, there are challenging days. I wish someone had said that feeling overwhelmed doesn't make you a bad mother, it makes you human."
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Whereas Annie said, "I wish someone would have been able to explain the feeling of absolute love that I would experience which would allow me to make it through the difficult moments.
We so often hear about the challenges and downsides of motherhood, and while these are undoubtedly real, what we don't hear about is that moms are also given the inner strength and resilience to overcome the challenges. My capacity for caring for others, love, gratitude, and joy have all increased.
I always knew I wanted to have kids, but I didn't understand how it would change everything. Becoming a mom is truly a superpower, and I am so blessed with being able to birth and now raise my five babies," she fondly shared.
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