Parenthood is hard. Thankfully, these wise parents are here to make it easier with their pro parenting tips. Enjoy!
1. An ancient old lady who had 6 awesome kids told me "Don't ever forget your child is going to be an adult. Raise them to survive". A similar, but kind of guarded version of that, told to me by an older Jamaican woman was "let a puppy nip you, you get a dog that bite you.
2. Read to your kid before they go to bed. It could literally be anything. Doesn't have to be a kids book. This will help them spend more time with you and improve their reading skills, and I'm sure they'll remember it when they're older.
3. A great piece of advice I got from a long time friend, that helped when my son was 5, or 6, etc. was to make sure that he knows we ALWAYS love him. Even when we get mad. I taught him this regularly when there was no conflict. And when he'd get angry or in trouble and his mom and I seemed angry at his misbehavior, I would remind him and test him. I'd say, "Right now you're in trouble and mom and I are mad. But even though we're mad right now" and he'd reply, "You still love me." Kids need to know that their parents always love them. Even when they're in trouble. Parents need to know that discipline can be enforced to teach life lessons and can still be loving. My son has grown up with confidence and a respect for right and wrong.
4. No baby ever died from crying.
There will be times when you're at your wits end and they just. Won't. Stop. Crying.
It's ok to put the baby down, step out of the room, and take a moment to breathe/calm down/recenter yourself.
The worst night of being a parent was the night I came home from work at midnight. My wife, in tears, told me it was my turn. Our son had been crying non stop for the last six hours. The only way for someone to calm him was to walk with him. I took over and had to walk all night after working two jobs. I couldn't even sit in the rocking chair. Finally around 6 am he exhausted himself. I was supposed to be at work at 10 that morning but called and said I couldn't do it. I really needed the money too. I am glad it just happened that one time.
BillieRubenCamGirl / weedful_things
5. Screw your pride
Let them make mistakes. Let them win arguments if they're right. Screw your pride.
If they break something they don't need, don't (Continue)
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replace it right away (when they're toddlers and up) let them realize the consequences of their actions.
Listen to them. Even if they sound ridiculous. If they're saying it with enthusiasm, indulge them. Teach them that what they have to say is important and that you care.
6. Having kids is a fitness bootcamp
Get in shape before having kids.
They are giant balls of energy that you will constantly have to chase after. Also, your energy levels are going to be taxed so much after having kids.
7. Don't beat yourself up if you don't stick to the plan
Do what works for you, until it doesn't. For example, you might go into it expecting to be an attachment parent, and find out that you and your kid both hate that. Or maybe it works for awhile, and then randomly it doesn't anymore. So I would say being willing to change and go with the flow is really important and something I wish I better understood at the beginning.
8. If you take care of yourself, you will be able to take care of others
Make sure your own needs are met first. You can't do a good job parenting if you're totally frazzled from being on-call 24/7. Take breaks when you need them.
This past weekend, my wife and I and both kids were ill. The 1.5 year old was super-cranky and completely unreasonable. So we broke our TV limit rule, and basically used the TV as a babysitter while we rested.
9. Sometimes love means doing the hard thing
They aren't stupid, they're inexperienced.
Be honest.
No matter what, love them. But sometimes love means doing the hard thing.
Your job is to raise them, not be their best friend.
It's easy to forget your partner or just get stuck in a rut. Don't. You are still people with needs. Make time for each other. Doesn't have to be fancy, but it needs to be there.
People will want to help and you won't want them to. Then you'll want help but people won't want to. Take presents, let people baby sit, eat their food, etc.
Enjoy it because it's the most wonderful thing you'll ever do, and once you get there you'll realize all the anxiety beforehand was pointless, you'll know what to do, and it'll be great.
10. Accept help from others
Accept help when someone offers it... watching the baby so you could sleep or shower.. bringing you some cooked food. Say yes. You can't do it alone.
Also, tell your significant other that (Continued)
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that they are doing a great job, they need to hear it.
11. Have a good cry
If you find yourself at wits end because he/she won't stop crying and you're crying and they're upset and you're upset and now it's a vicious cycle, take a moment. Or a few moments.
Put your baby in their cot/bassinet, walk out of the room and sit down and just take a breather. Have a good cry if that's what you need or just close your eyes and meditate. They'll probably keep crying, but they were going to do that with or without you. And you'll hear if something changes because baby crying is so darn piercing.
When you feel ready and calmer, go back to your baby. You might just find that once you're calm, they might calm down too.
Good luck, you got this, and congratulations on being a parent!!
12. Let's get practical!
On a practical note, put several layers of mattress pads/sheets on the crib. When you need to change them in the middle of the night, you just take off the top layers.
We got great parenting advice from a dog trainer, "You don't train a dog by telling them what they are doing wrong. You train them by telling them when they do something right."
13. Some parents say they're perfect... those people are liars
Not every day is going to be a proud parenting day. Sometimes you're going to lose your wits, everyone does. Any parent who's like "I've never lost patience with my children and acted differently than how I wanted to" is a liar and shouldn't be trusted haha.
When that happens, calm down, reset, and start again. The best thing my parents did for me growing up was to explain why they lost patience and talk to me until we were all good again. I now do the same for my daughter, and did this even before she could understand what I was saying.
As a parent it's easy to slip into a role of complete control over your kids, but you have to remember that they're people too with their own ideas and they deserve your respect just as much as you deserve theirs. So if you talk to them in a way you're not proud of, or yell at them, or whatever it is, just talk to them. Apologize. Make expectations clear going forward and move on.
14. A most powerful lesson
Remember that your kids will learn far more from (Continued)
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what they see you do than from what you tell them to do. Your example is the most powerful lesson.
15. Better yet, children are like the CIA and NSA all rolled into one
They're always watching.
You are their frame of reference. On how to act in a situation, on how to express themselves, what's good to do, what's bad to do. They depend on you, and will be in a position where they will follow everything you do partly because they don't yet understand what you say.
16. Give them a chance to fail
Also, let them learn the hard way with natural consequences. I'm a fairly hands off parent in that if my kid gets stuck on top of the dishwasher, they need to figure out for themselves how to get down. I give them the freedom to explore and climb and go on adventures and get dirty and make art projects and I see these things pay off when it comes to problem solving and creative thinking. None of my kids are afraid to fail because I give them the chance to try.
17. Your spouse comes first
Raise your child to someday be an adult. Set the example of a rock solid marriage. YOUR SPOUSE COMES FIRST. Your marriage is the foundation of your family. Build it strong and continue to work on it. Unless there's serious abuse, infidelity, and safety issues, work on it. This is not to say single parents can't raise children.
18. Comparing, pictures, and thrift stores
Don't compare your kid's milestones to ANY OTHER KID. Even your own other kids. They will never be the same, on anything. If they are, you'll worry they're average. If they're not, you'll worry they're "behind".
You know your kid better than someone who interacts with them intermittently. If you have a concern about ability level, development, or anything" - talk to a professional if you can. "Friends" will try calm your fears and tell you everything is fine even if it's not, and other people will insist anything wrong is caused by your "parenting".
You will constantly be surprised by what your kid doesn't know. Try to get over that. They have had zero experience with the world you live in. Don't make a big deal out of it.
Be open and honest about your own emotions and thought processes. You can talk to them like adults much faster than you think, and it's never too early to give kids language to articulate their emotions and feelings.
When you're mad, hug them. Take a billion pictures of them, every day - not just when they're little. Take pictures of yourself, with them. Get family pictures.
Learn to love thrift stores. You're going to go through 3 different clothing sizes in one summer and they won't even have a chance to wear half their clothing before they grow out of it. This goes triple for shoes. YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY KIDS SHOES OR SOCKS.
If you're buying them rain boots and umbrellas, make sure you (Continued)
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have those things for yourself. Jumping in puddles in the rain with your kid is awesome fun.
Find what they excel at and use it to help them navigate the world. Kids process things differently and if you can figure out their processes, you can make learning new things so much easier on them.
Let them make their own mistakes, and help them fix them. They need to learn making mistakes is part of learning and growing.
Dollar Store art supply sections are your friend. Hell, the Dollar Store in general is your main ally as a parent.
Let them own their own emotions. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to be mad. It's okay to cry. They'll take longer to process certain emotions than you do, and they'll process other emotions so fast your head will spin. Don't yell at them for being upset, that never makes it better. No one ever learned how to deal with anger, grief, sadness, or anxiety, from being screamed at to "do it faster".
19. Your baby will probably look gross
Often the baby comes out blue and gross and quiet. Don't worry, it isn't dead. In a couple seconds it'll pink up and cry. Also, the placenta can be really big. Like the size of a dinner plate.
20. Be a "good enough" parent
Be more aware of the behavior you are modelling and less strict with the rules you are directly enforcing. Kids learn a lot more than you think by what they see you do, and a lot less from all the intricate instructional rules you've set up. If you love junk food, are a chronic procrastinator, easily get defensive, or have a quick temper, don't be surprised if your kids are the same way.
Don't have a lot of rules, decide on a few important ones and really stick to it. Having too many rules means you will often have to bend them or suspend them for different situations and will mean lots of whining and negotiating, which is beyond exhausting.
If you get exhausted by the: "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" "Why?" Stage. You can end the cycle of "whys" by responding: (Continued)
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That's a very good question, why do you think?" or, "Let's go look up the answer."
Almost every book is written and published not with the goal to help you or your child, but to make money. Keep this in mind. As a result, most of what you read in books really is crap.
Follow what Donald Winnacott said about parenting -- the best kind of parent is not the "perfect" one, but the "good-enough" one. The good-enough parent remains sensitive and aware of a child's basic needs (warmth, food, emotional security) and responds to them directly. Everything else really isn't that important and being stressed about it with your kid does more damage than good.
21. Many aspects of parenting will not bring you joy or happiness
Your children do not belong to you. They are not your possessions and their accomplishments, achievements, failures and everything in between belongs to them. Your children were born as complete human beings, and there is nothing more damaging and hurtful than to deny someone's humanity. For some bizarre reason children are forced to endure this as a matter of course by a lot of people who ought to know better.
Children don't ask to be born, and they do not owe you for parenting them-- you owe them because you brought them here. "I was a good parent" is not a thing you get to brag about, it's the bare minimum that the vulnerable little people in your care deserve.
Your job as a parent is not to make your children happy. Your job is to give them the skills and tools they will need to function and make themselves happy going forth in the world. That means there will be many times you will have to do things that makes them unhappy and in turn that makes you unhappy. A lot of aspects of parenting will not bring you joy or happiness. Remember it's better for your child to experience hard lessons with the soft comfort of a supportive and safe home to lean on, rather than putting it off so the first time they experience hard things is when you're dead and not able to help support them through it.
Don't lose your identity. As a parent you are the first example of an adult that your child will look too- it's healthy and good that they see you are not just their parent but a person with passions and a life beyond being mom or dad. Dating your spouse and cultivating a life together as lovers rather than just parents is not detracting from your children.
You will mess up. You will mess up repeatedly because there is no manual for how to do this. It's ok that you mess up, in fact. But your child is watching, so when you mess up, apologize sincerely to them without precondition or excuses, and actively work to not repeat the mistake. Your child will forgive you if you are sincere and loving.
The more people who love and care for your child, the better off they are. Don't hoard your child's love or be possessive of it. Multiply love in their life.
It's easy to write off the feelings of children, especially small children.. but when you diminish and mock the "little" things when those children grow older and have "big" things, they don't trust you or come to you. If it matters and feels big to your child, you need to treat it appropriately. If you don't consistently demonstrate that even the little things are treated with dignity, don't be shocked that the trust you eroded and destroyed means they don't come to you with anything.
Oh and when they're a newborn and you can't figure out why they are screaming their little head off in the baby swing - put that swing on full blast. I've yet to meet a newborn who doesn't love the swing, they just like it going full blast. Strap em in and let it rip.
22. Moisturize.
You're gonna be washing a lot of bottles.
23. Pretty sure that's not in any book.
Find time for your friends who don't have kids.
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External image: Shutterstock / juninatt
Give too much. Give too little. Pay for the first date. Don't pay for anything. I've heard it all. Sometimes it all worked, sometimes it didn't. Let's hear more...
Nemo?
Finding Nemo Movie GIFGiphy"There are plenty of fish in the sea. Unfortunately, I live in the desert."
Forward
"My girlfriend passed, and I can't figure out how to fall out of love with a dead woman."
- NiTlo
"I think the only way I could move forward is knowing I will always love and cherish her memory, but am capable of loving another as well. Then again there's nothing wrong with making peace with the fact you've had the love of your life and staying single."
Shame...
"I tell myself it's by choice."
"Here is the reality, it may make some feel better. If you aren't using a dating app, not going to bars/clubs or putting yourself out there, you have made a conscious choice not to date. If you are ok with this, you have NOTHING to be ashamed or worried about. Some people are wired differently. Not everyone wants to be in a relationship. If you are not ok with this, you need to make some changes in your life. And no, it's not their fault. Do some introspection."
Look Within
"Self esteem issues. Anyone I like enough to date deserves better than me."
- supnseop
"I have a question for you, I suspect that this person I really care for a lot also really cares a lot for me but they push me away despite never fighting having any disagreements or ever a bad time or issue of any type. In fact, we've always really enjoyed each other's company. So my question is would you or have you just given up on someone despite really liking them because you thought that they'd just leave you anyway and couldn't possibly be happy with you--and they'd would be disappointed? Thinking you're doing them a favor?
- allovia
"It's not really that I would be worried about them leaving or being disappointed with me. I'm disappointed in myself, and I wouldn't want to bring that into a relationship. I don't like me, so how can I ask someone else to? If I've given up on myself, then I'm really not bringing anything to the relationship except baggage. I'm not sure I'm doing them a favor, but I am sure that they will find someone better than me."
"Also, I swear I'm a functioning human lol. These are legit the deep dark thoughts that come out in the wee hours of the morning. I am trying to fight against this train of thought as much as I can, but I hope you can see why I wouldn't want to make this someone else's problem, especially someone that I care for deeply."
- supnseop
The Appeal...
So Excited Reaction GIF by OriginalsGiphy"I assume because I'm not appealing in any way to anyone"
no one else....
"I can barely handle myself, what makes you think I could handle some other fool?!"
35
"For me, it is a choice. In my country, marriage is set up by parents and children barely have a say in 90% cases. I am 35 now and still single, think of it how you will. I just detest human interactions. When I try to recall the happiest moments of my life, all of them were with my dogs, gods help their departed souls. I can't imagine spending intimate time with another human being. And a relationship is unnecessary bondage. It is an utter waste of time, money, energy and everything one can imagine."
Post University...
"I'm a physically ugly dude who generally dates by having people get to know me for a while, look past my looks and develop feelings for me. Post-university this has been extremely difficult, as I don't have enough people coming through my life despite my best efforts, and doubly so in a dating market that is so thoroughly warped by looks-based online dating."
Skills
"I lack the social skills."
"It's difficult, I avoided people and bonding with people because I was too insecure about being socially unskilled and this only gets worse with time, people are growing and getting better at it, but I barely started really."
Connections
Dont Touch Me Season 9 GIF by FriendsGiphy"I don't connect with people very well. I have a hard time talking to people I care about normal things, and I have an even harder time talking to them about my feelings. On top of that I have really bad social anxiety and I don't have a lot of friends, so the chances of me actually getting in a relationship is basically zero."
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Fast forward to our grocery store trip with our mother, my younger sister, and myself. Sister was having a fit over wanting one of those cheap plastic toy packs they hang in some of the aisles. Mom said no.
Cue the scream, my little blonde sister lets out a wail and starts yelling for the entire store to hear "Stop it! You aren't my mom! You aren't my mommy! No!" My mom tried to grab her hand and tell her to stop but then realized that in doing so it made the scene look worse.
It was such a mix of mortification and humor that I just stood there. Little sister stopped after a few minutes, pretty sure she got her prized toy just to shut up. Now that I'm older it's a wonder the police didn't come.
Redditor Granted01 wanted to hear the most embarrassing childhood moments the internet had to offer and asked the subreddit:
“What inappropriate thing did you do as a child that you didn't realise was inappropriate?"
The answers make us want to crawl into a hole for them.
Cheers...
“My parents used to keep mini bottles of liquor in the fridge (the ones you'd find in hotel mini bar). We had to make our own lunches at times when mom and dad were busy with work and my first-grade self decided to empty the bottles into the sink and put juice in them to bring to school… my parents got a call that day from school lol." wander-lux
On my--well, him...
“Not me but my daughter. We live in a place where we don't see many people of different ethnicities but one day she saw a Muslim man with a beard dressed in the long white outfit, and she was convinced he was God."
“No idea why but she wouldn't leave the dude alone (she was 4) and started reeling off a Christmas list.. turns out Santa and God were mixed up too. Thankfully he found it funny." ApricotSuperb7196
“Doggy” style…
“Not me, but my sister used to lap her drinks up like a dog. Turns out she was calling this "doggy style". One time they forgot to bring her a straw at the restaurant we were in and she loudly screamed "guess I'll do it doggy style". I think she was 7 or 8 at the time." knotsy-
Not what they’re called…
“I used to call those pigeons with the pointy tuft on their heads ‘horny birds’. I would yell it out so loudly too -.- my mum told me she had to look away every time I did it because it made her laugh until she cried. Obviously I wasnt told until later because I was only 5 at the time.” Artherwritethiss
Anything but that *gag*
“I used to play with this cup in the bath and drink water out of it for years, did it in the shower too as i got older, it had a handle on the end of it and I never knew why. One day I witnessed my mother use this cup in the toilet violently, and that was the moment I realized what a plunger was."
“It scared me I was about 10 when I realized what I had been using as a toy. I would fill it up with water in the bath or shower and play with it, and sip the water out of it, etc as kids do with toys I guess. Probably never forget that." That-nz-guy
Channel 9 Brush GIF by Married At First Sight AustraliaGiphy“riding my big wheel across one of the busiest roads in town…”
“I was a serious nudist as a child. My parents could never keep me in my clothes. My older sister would have her friends over who I had a crush on and I'd run outside butt naked to see them. There's a story that I still get teased about to this day of when my neighbor called my mom at work to tell her I was riding my big wheel across one of the busiest roads in town completely nude.” jdbuck99
“I called my Granny's boyfriend a dirty bastard…”
“I grew up on Looney Tunes & would call people who were mean to me stinkers or dirty bastards. I called my Granny's boyfriend a dirty bastard cause he started teasing me. I had my mom dying.” Kuriosity93
“my mum made me forge her papers…”
“When I was like 12 my mom was on probation and had to do community service. (Still no idea why) I had pretty good cursive handwriting at the time and my mum made me forge her papers and sign her p.o's name saying she was doing her service. Good times. Thanks for the memories mum.” osum_o_posum
Why didn’t they say anything!?
“When I was in 5th grade we made a calendar to take home. We each had our picture taken and glued to cover and were allowed to decorate it and each of the following months however we chose."
“Being 10 (nearly 11) there was so much that I didn't know about the world. What made it tick and more importantly, its history. Prior to the creative masterpiece that was unfolding in class, at home, I had walked in on my dad watching a WWII documentary where they showed footage of the German regalia and, subsequently, their flags."
“Not knowing any better, I thought the 'windmill' symbol was really cool and decided it should be on the cover of this calendar. One in each corner with my photo smack dab in the middle."
“No one said anything to me about it. It went through the lamination machine and was sent home with me. I wish I could've seen my teacher's reaction while she thought one of her students had skinheads for parents..." FusedByFire
A different way to say hello…
“Right, so anyone who's seen Mr. Bean (the movie) probably remembers the scene where he waves his middle finger at people tryna say hi? I did that. To an elderly person. Need I say more.” Blackrap1d
These cringe-worthy and laughable moments are brought to you by the ignorance of childhood. We've nearly all had a moment like this growing up, some just way, way worse than others.
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