Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs there is and it comes with many physical and mental challenges.
And as many mums and dads will tell you, it can be a wonderful and magical, experience but can also be upsetting and sometimes you might find yourself having negative feelings towards your child.
One mum has recently admitted she's been struggling to 'like' her three-year-old son, due to his difficult behaviour and she's been praised for her honesty by fellow parents.
Writing in a post on BabyCentre's Am I Being Unreasonable forum, the unnamed woman said: "Struggling to 'like' my 3.5-year-old.
"This is a really difficult one to explain, but wanted to see if anyone else felt the same, or similar. I am really really struggling to being around my 3.5yo. He misbehaves all the time with me, is rude, shouts, constantly demands things, and never plays nicely with his 1.5yo Sister.
"I feel like all I do is tell him off. I find him really difficult. I feel horrible saying it, but more often than not, he irritates me. I snap at him really quickly because he gets on my nerves so much. I feel I have tried everything to change his behaviour around me, but know it's my own fault due to how he makes me feel.
"I need to try and make things better, as it's making me feel so down and almost dread being around him."
The parent goes on to say that to make matters more complicated she had PTSD from a traumatic birth and also post-natal depression.
She added: "My youngest is 1.5yrs and feel I have a very different relationship with her - I enjoy her, love being around her, etc. I fear he is going to become much more aware of my different attitude around them both, which I don't want."
Dozens of people flocked to the comments to share messages of support and sympathy for the mum, with many admitting they'd had similar experiences.
One person posted: "That sounds really tough and must be upsetting for you. I understand - I have 3 kids - the oldest is a teenager and I get annoyed at her sometimes but she’s great generally, the middle has just turned 3 and is exactly as you describe and the youngest is 1 and currently a bit easier although that May all change! I’m always snapping at the 3-year-old and his behaviour can be difficult. My eldest seemed so well-behaved in comparison."
Another responded: "I've been thinking of posting something similar, to the point that I actually had to check your name to make sure I hadn’t made the post earlier!!! My 3.5-year-old is a menace! He's always been a difficult child who pushes every boundary possible but the last fortnight has been seesawing from lovely to feral in seconds. All I can do is send solidarity to you. I chatted with a mum friend today and it really helped. Also got him put on a big day out to the zoo to tire him out. It's a rollercoaster though and were worn down by it."
While a third said: "I feel for you I honestly do. It is so hard when they're that age. My eldest was the boldest stroppiest little tornado. He never behaved! I would get called into nursery all the time for him being disruptive. He even bit a kid once. I did my best but it was really tough and I cried a lot. I loved him so much but sometimes I did not like him. What saved it? As soon as I could (age 4) I put him in sports."
Have you experienced something similar? Let us know in the comments below.
