village of support — Blog

SOS: When parenting is really really really hard

Monday I came down with a cold. My husband is in the thick of a very challenging season at work. My 4-year-old has been so full of anger the past month it’s been like parenting a ticking time bomb. My seven-year-olds new thing is complaining about everything. The sun hasn’t shone in 6 days. There are toys and paper and crumbs everywhere. I lost my temper again this morning. My sinuses are pounding. I feel like a fraud.

It’s Wednesday and I have run out of silver linings.

And I know I’m not alone and yet it feels so isolating. It’s a heavy weight on our shoulders knowing there is no hero riding in to save the day. It’s just us. And we are tired.

*sigh*

So I’m writing this for me and for every parent out there: how to be a parent when things are really really really hard.

The depths of our neediness

After a busy holiday season, back-to-back illnesses and children exhausted from starting school, my husband and I locked eyes during a particularly long and fraught bedtime with our two daughters. We didn’t say anything but you could read the silence: it shouldn’t be so hard!? When does it get easier? How can they possibly need SO much?

Adding a Babysitter to your Village of Support

Growing up in the country, at 13 I was babysitting for all the neighbourhood families. I changed diapers, prepared bottles, handled bedtimes and even wrangled a family of 7! My husband, as a teen, babysat for over a dozen families on his street in north Toronto.

Today, many parents confess no one has ever cared for their children, except for maybe Grandma. It’s not uncommon to hear parents haven’t had a child-free night out in years!

Looking for something in particular? Search ‘sleep’ or ‘highly sensitive’ for the resources you need!