Being a parent is not an easy role to fill. You’re dedicating time and effort to help mold a young person into who they’re going to become, and there’s nothing simple about that. It can feel like a never-ending struggle to raise a child and for many parents, there are times when everything seems to be going wrong.
If you have felt like you can’t do anything right as a parent lately, take a look at the following tips to help you re-center yourself.
Learn from Your Mistakes
We all make mistakes. Your parents did, their parents did, and you will as well. Mistakes are a normal part of the human experience, but if you want to avoid making the same ones again, take a moment to reflect on what went wrong and how you can approach the situation differently the next time around.
Go Easy on Yourself
You’re growing as a parent just like your child is growing as a young person. While there are plenty of self-help books on how to parent in general, there is no manual on how to parent YOUR children specifically. Whether you’re a first-time parent or you have several children, each of them is an individual and each experience raising them is going to be unique. Go easy on yourself and realize that you’re learning just as much as they are.
Evaluate Your Expectations
Some of the negative feelings you’re experiencing may be from having too many expectations for yourself and your family. Evaluate your idea of what successful parenting is, and if you have set yourself up to bring up the perfect family, you’re asking too much of yourself. No amount of work will stop the occasional bump in the road, so do what you can to not sweat the small things.
Make Changes Together
If you find that specific issues keep occurring between yourself and your children, share your concerns. Talk to your family about what’s bothering you and work together to come up with small changes that everyone can adjust to. For example, if you frequently become irritable when your kids track mud through the house, set up a new rule to take shoes off outside so the problem can be avoided.
A family is a sort of team, and it only succeeds when everyone in that team works together. If you feel that you’re constantly finding faults in yourself and how you parent your children, you may very well be placing too much strain on yourself. There are always going to be ups and downs, and the fact that you care shows you’re doing your best to be a good parent. In the end, your best effort is all anyone can ask for.
