In every area of your life, you’ve always been one to over-prepare. Whether that overpreparation came in the form of preparing lunch the night before, studying ahead of time for exams, or bulk buying groceries, you’ve always been able to rely on this strategy to pave an easy and reliable path to success.

However, when it comes to parenting, you’ve realised that you don’t have as much control as you would like. Sometimes things go wrong, sometimes you feel out of control, and sometimes you simply feel like nothing will go your way. Although you’ve had supportive family around you, and you haven’t found yourself in a difficult financial situation, over the years you’ve come to find that being a parent is your biggest challenge yet.

If you can relate to this, then it’s important to realise that you are most certainly not alone. Parenting can be a difficult journey, no matter what your situation may be. However, we’re here to help you recognise what the reasons behind this could be. Education is power, and when it comes to parenting, the more you learn, the better equipped you will feel.

What are the reasons why parenting can be hard?

Our society will try to convince us that life should be easy and we should be constantly happy. The society we live in today sells the idea that everyone should go about their lives in a happy, carefree and easygoing manner. That if you’re not “living your best life”, you’ve failed to some degree. But it’s important to recognise that this just isn’t reality for every person, especially busy parents with a million things on their plate. Being honest with ourselves that life isn’t always easy is crucial to helping us overcome the challenges that will inevitably come our way.

Parenting is one of the hardest tasks a human can take on. Some people have the ability to make parenting look easy, but that certainly doesn’t mean it is! The truth is that parenting is one of the hardest tasks a person will take on in their lifetime. If you’re experiencing a couple of difficult days or a particularly challenging year, it’s useful to recognise that you’re not doing anything wrong. Sometimes, this is just the way it is! Try to keep in mind that the moments of joy and good days will always come back around.

Life circumstances can make parenting very difficult. There’s no doubt that parenting can be hard, regardless of what your life circumstances are. However, for those that are struggling with difficulties such as being unemployed, underemployed, parenting alone, living with addiction, or dealing with some other sort of difficulty, parenting can feel a lot more challenging. If this is the case for you, then please have some compassion for yourself and your situation. There is no shame in struggling. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, let others around you know that you’re struggling, or ask for professional support.

Childhood can make parenting harder. Just about everything stems from childhood. And when it comes to being a parent, this is especially true. If you’ve had a childhood that was filled with violence, addiction, loss, abuse, or neglect, then this is highly likely to filter into the way you parent your child. For example, you may be more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, addiction, or a chronic illness of some kind. We know that looking into your past can be painful, but it’s best to heal your relationship with this part of your life in order to move on.

Why is parenting so hard? (Part 1)