Becoming a parent isn’t easy. Everyone knows that. From the moment your little bundle of joy comes into your life, everything will undoubtedly change.
You may think you’ll have it under control and you’ll go on with your life with only a few changes. You’ve read every parenting book and all the different mommy blogs. But having a real life child in your life is not going to be what you expect, no matter what your expectations are, they’re wrong.
But you’ll learn along the way. You’ll find your footing and be the type of parent you want to be
However, getting there is going to be difficult. And there are many lessons you’ll have to take note of. Not just the big ones, but the little ones too.
They don’t break as easily as you might think
When you first bring your new baby home, you may think that absolutely everything can hurt them.
You watch them while they sleep and check regularly that they’re still breathing. You’re convinced that somehow you’re going to break this tiny little baby. But that’s not the case.
Little ones are made of sturdy stuff. Yes, you have to be careful: the parenting books and mommy bloggers told you all that. But you don’t need to be overly cautious. You need to rest as well as your baby does. And they’re not going to break if you sleep when they sleep or leave them in their cot while you pop to the kitchen.
Everything is going to be all right. Take a deep breath and relax.
You have to learn to say no early on
As your child grows up, you will have to learn to say no as soon as you possibly can. There’s no quicker way to spoil a child than to say yes to everything that they want.
Sure, your little one is cute and saying no to that tiny face seems almost impossible. But you have to do it. They need to learn early on that they can’t have everything they want.
Why? Because that’s how the world works. You can’t have something you want just because you want it. They’re going to need to know they have to work for what they want.
They learn from watching you
Your child is always watching you, listening to you, absorbing everything you do. As they learn to speak, they will pick up your language and habits without really understanding what they actually mean. And you don’t want a child that learns to say words they shouldn’t be using, especially when at school or on a play date.
It’s also not just about the words you use, it’s how you behave. If you and your partner are constantly fighting or even bickering, they’ll start thinking it’s okay to raise their voice when they don’t get what they want or they’re frustrated.
There are things you can’t shield your child from
This you’ll learn as your child gets a bit older. They’ll be playing in the back of the room while you’re watching the news and they’ll pick things up. They’ll see homeless people in the street and ask you why they don’t have homes. They’ll see certain things on TV before you can reach for the remote to change the channel.
You can try as much as you like, but you can’t shield your child from everything all the time.
You can’t control everything that happens at school
You can’t be that parent who is in the principal’s office every day or emailing the teacher every few hours. Things will happen at school that you may not like and you cannot be there to protect your child. So, you have to trust the teachers to do their jobs and look after your child for you while they’re in the building.
Sure, if your child is being bullied, you need to speak to the teacher and ask them to do the best they can to sort the situation out. But for the rest of the time, you need to leave your parenting worries at the gate.
They (probably) aren’t going to love their fruit and veg
Some children do actually enjoy fruits and vegetables. But most don’t. At least not vegetables, anyway. You may have to get ready for a fight with this one. Dinner time might become a constant battle. But it’s worth it.
Your child needs to learn early on that they have to eat their veggies to keep them healthy. It will likely take a lot of time to convince them to nibble on their broccoli. And don’t feel bad if you have to resort to bribery and negotiations.
