Parenthood is the beginning of a new, challenging experience. In this journey, you’ll learn more about yourself than you thought while exploring and putting into practice all the right ways to raise a tiny, helpless human into a self-reliant adult. It’s completely normal to feel lost, need help, or want to get advice during this difficult yet wonderful journey. Parenthood comes with a lot of responsibilities that make you feel stressed and worried, but calm down, this job can be much easier when you know what to do. Since having a baby won’t automatically give you the knowledge of being a parent, here are some things that can make it easier for you.
Avoid Comparisons
It’s easy to look around and think that everyone is a better parent than you or you might catch yourself comparing your child to others’ children, but watch out! It's a trap. Every child is different and unique; some are extroverts and others are introverts, so each child’s activity level will be different and will adapt to situations differently. Similarly, comparing yourself to other parents is another trap. You may compare yourself to other moms or dads, like the ones on social media who seem perfect in every way but, keep in mind that you only see what they choose to show you. Comparison will only make you anxious and worried all the time.
Be Flexible
Children, like adults, have different personalities. This is why you should take your child’s personality into account as you raise them. Be aware that what worked with one child might not work with the other, so don’t force your child to do something they aren’t ready for or doesn’t match their personality. You have to set some reasonable rules and limits and avoid strict ones. Instead, do a consistent follow-up to ensure that your child has good behavior and to correct any misbehaviors.
Communicate
They say that communication is the key to any relationship, and this is very true when it comes to the parent-child relationship. It lays the foundation for your child’s communication skills. Talk to your baby even if they can’t talk back yet, this may sound weird, but it really helps with your child’s language acquisition and development.
Lower Your Expectations
You should know that there is no perfect parent when it comes to parenting and you don’t have to know the answers to everything. Moreover, you can’t take care of everything all at once; take it step by step. Life, in general, is full of unexpected events suddenly, accidents happen, sickness happen, and life challenges happen so, you should be ready to deal with the dark side of life before the white ones. You shouldn’t expect your child to be another little version of you; every person has their own goals and dreams, and doesn’t have to copy anyone.
Ask For Help
It’s OK to ask for help; you’re not alone. If someone offers to help you, that’s great but, if there’s no one offering help, you should never hesitate to turn to a trusted friend, or family member to give you the assistance you need. Help comes in different shapes, and can be more beneficial than you may realize, for example, having someone to take care of your baby for just an hour so you can pamper yourself, take a shower, go out, or take a nap will boost your mood and revive your energy.
Believe In Yourself
Don’t feel lost. Every single person you know will give you advice and have an opinion on what to do with your baby/child and what is right to do from their personal experience or point of view. You should only figure out what works best for you and them, make your own decisions, and don’t worry about offending people; it’s not offensive to anyone at all if you decide to do things differently to them.
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