This post is sponsored by ZERO TO THREE, in collaboration with The Motherhood.
Becoming a parent for the first time means you often have expectations on how everything will go. I remember when our eldest was born and how much I thought it was going to get easier with time.
It doesn’t, but you do get accustomed to things over time.
So Many Expectations
We had so many expectations with our eldest when he was born, and we hoped he’d hit so many milestones before he reached a certain age. Little did we know, we were placing stress on ourselves.
According to a recently ZERO TO THREE study, we’re not alone when it comes to the emotional stress we cause ourselves. In fact, 60% of parents told ZERO TO THREE that having enough patience is among the top three improvements they would like to make. Other concerns parents addressed were better control over their emotions (47%), less likely to yell or raise their voices so quickly (42%), and to not quickly lose their temper with their children (35%).
There are many ways for parents to control their emotions and strengthen their relationship with their children. After all, who likes being yelled at all the time?
Remember How To Breathe
Cleaning up after little ones can get exhausting, but it’s also an opportunity to teach them some responsibility, such as cleaning up after themselves.
As noted in the study, “Children need our assistance, not our anger.” That is exactly what we try to do for our boys. During tough times, it’s important to breathe. Giving yourself some time to think about the situation and fully understand what’s going on is better than lashing out at your children. Try it, you might surprise yourself by how much you can control yourself by doing the unexpected.
For parents looking to better manage their emotions, I highly recommend checking out the ZERO TO THREE resources available here. You can even read how other parents have been able to cope with their emotions over here. Parents are also welcomed to join the ZERO TO THREE newsletter for more information and monthly tips, tools, and story-sharing opportunities: http://bit.ly/2vhCsug
Do you have a parenting story you’d like to share? Submit yours today: http://bit.ly/2v7fjv7
One response to “Parenting 101: Expectations Aren’t Always A Good Thing”
I agree that with parenting that it doesn’t get easier. It’s more so you do what you got to do to survive the every day grind of being a mom. There are definitely days that are better than others. Some days I want my kids to go to bed and I want some alone time.