Fulfilling, rewarding, a feeling unlike any other. These are the words and phrases that parents use to describe the incredible process that is child-rearing. Though many call it the most rewarding part of their life, no one would argue that being a parent is difficult.
From toilet training the toddler to teaching the teenager how to drive, this 24/7 job is filled with every imaginable task under the sun. It is no wonder that parents worry a lot. And much of the time, the anxiety merely adds stress to one’s life. To help ease the constant concern, we’ve assembled a list of five worries to just forget about with the help of Ingrid Prueher, owner of NYC Baby Planner and certified pre and postnatal stress management coach.
1. Forget about 'The Schedule' - “Kids do need structure,” Ingrid says, “but keeping them to a schedule may not always happen.” While planning certain things out is certainly very important, having every minute of every day completely mapped out is not necessary and more likely to cause stress to both parent and child than anything else. Teaching your child to “go with the flow…and start fresh the next day” is an important lesson for them to learn.
2. You Can Stop Worrying So Much About Money for the Kids - It's one of the most common triggers for family stress, but it's important to remember that “You do not have to buy your child everything. It does not make you a better parent,” says Ingrid. As cliché as it sounds, the most valuable things a parent can contribute to a child’s life are items that can't be purchased at the local mall... love, understanding, support, time... the list is endless and priceless.
3. Cut the Comparing - It is natural to look at other children and even other parents to see how your child and even you “measure up.” However, each child, parent, and family are unique and it is absolutely not necessary to “compare your child’s milestones with other children.” Just because your child is the last one in the neighborhood to learn how to ride a bike, “does not mean that something is wrong with him.”
4. Don't Obsess About Being the Perfect Parent - The pressure for parents to do it all and do it well seems to be everywhere from the media to other parents and even other family members. However, try as we might, not one of us is faultless and that is okay. Learning from our mistakes is “in itself an amazing lesson for our children to learn from us,” says Ingrid.
5. Finally parents can Forget About Knowing Everything. This one goes right along with the quest for perfection; it just will not happen. By not “having all the answers for our children,” says Ingrid, we are presented with “the perfect opportunity to show our kids the beauty of discovering the answers together.”
So next time you find yourself pressured to be perfect or stressed from all the scheduling, just take a step back and remember that it’s okay, parents are people, too.
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