Biggest Challenges in Parenting and How To Solve Them

Being a parent is amazing.  If I didn’t think so, why would I be making all of these videos?  But…let’s face it, parenting is not always easy.  It is often challenging. I wanted to share with you my 3 biggest parenting challenges and how to solve them. There are many things as a parent that can potentially challenge you.  If you are a new parent, keep these in mind as your little human begins to take shape.  If you have been a parent for a while, then you will probably relate to these.

1) Keeping calm – A baby crying, a house that’s a mess, stress at work, it doesn’t matter.  Keeping calm is not easy for me.  It doesn’t come naturally. I don’t know about you but i operate at a pretty high stress level in general.  When you add a child to the mix, keeping calm just seems hard to do. Some things that have worked for me: breathing exercises, meditation, and most importantly, noticing the change in mind body as I lose my calm.  My heart rate starts to increase, you may feel your muscles tighten, there are physical cues. Catch yourself before you lose too much calmness, do some self talk and bring yourself back to serenity.  It takes practice.

2) The second challenge is Consistency –  This goes for how your parent, routines, responsibilities, tasks, you name it.  You are going to feel like you say or do the same thing 1000 times (and it could realistically be 1000 times) before your child understands. Children like repetition.  If you don’t already know this, you will as your child wants to watch the same movie 314 times.  Yet they always brush their teeth after the bath, and they have been doing it every day for 3 years, but they still forget and it’s like you have never shown them before. So a few tips on parenting consistency..Setup routines both morning and night, we have some videos about that.  and also establish rules for your home.  Rules will assist with consistency as everyone will understand what the expectations are in the home.  

3) The third challenge is Defiance – defiance can come across as your child simply not listening or flat out saying no and going against what you have stated. As your child grows into a toddler, defiance becomes really common.  Your child will say no, not listen to you, and often do the opposite of what you are asking. They are exploring their boundaries.  Your three year old is not out to ruin your day.  It may feel like it, but i promise you they are not.  They are just trying to understand this big, complicated world. So a good way to deal with defiance is not take it personally.  Also, treat your child how you would want to be treated.  Set a good example and coach them along. Our role is to help them learn the ways of the world.  They may try to battle you, but choose your battles wisely and remain calm.

I’d love to hear from you.  What is your biggest challenge in parenting?  Leave your feedback in the comments section below.