To say it simply, parenting is hard. You might remember people telling you parenting is the toughest job you’ll ever have and now you can truly understand what they meant. Parenting is filled with some of the best moments and some of the most challenging in a parent’s life. The experience of raising your children may bring up many unexpected questions and feelings for you.
Meeting your child for the first time is an extraoridinary experience. The bond you have with your child is like no other. Although there is much joy in raising your child, parenting does not come without worry or struggles.
Parents often seek out support in the following areas:
- General parenting questions
- Parenting style and compatibility with child’s needs and temperament
- Struggle for life balance
- Conflict with partner about parenting decisions/ approach/ involvement
- Worry about meeting self imposed parenting expectations
- Insecurities and confusion around parenting
- Questions about your child’s development, health, and overall well-being
- Concern about changes in relationships with partner, friends, family, siblings
- Managing difficult feelings about parenting
- Understanding unresolved feelings about your own parents
- Stress around career, housing situation, finances, and childcare
- Dealing with lack of support and isolation
Being emotionally available to your children is essential. There are times when the stress of parenting can sap energy, create feelings of uneasiness and guilt, and make it difficult to be present for your children in the way you would like to be. Complex feelings surface when parenting. Experiencing a range of feelings such as warmth, love, discontent, anger, worry and fear is to be expected. Therapy can help you sort out complex emotions so that you can enjoy your children for who they are and can help you create realistic parenting expectations.