What’s been the hardest challenge as a parent?
Angela – Everything! No, just kidding. Seriously though, my biggest challenge is trying to be patient. My kids are only 3 and 1 but, they wear me down to just about nothing sometimes and I always wish I was more patient with them.
Tonii– My biggest challenge in parenting so far has been making sure each of my children get the attention and love they deserve every day. With 4 kids 7 and under, some days that is a pretty tall order! I have made a commitment to spend one-on-one time with EACH of my children every day. Sometimes all it is is watching a SpongeBob episode with one of them, or holding my baby for a few extra minutes at bedtime, but at least I know at the end of the day they know how important they are to me.
Ann– Because I have a daughter and a son, with two absolutely opposite personalities, the hardest challenge for me is being able to constantly adapt to the needs of two completely different kids. Being able to mother a son of a certain age and a daughter of a certain age is challenging enough, but when you consider how different their personalities, abilities, and tastes are, it’s often difficult to find what anyone would call a happy medium.
Michaela – I think the hardest challenge for me has been the adjustment to the stay at home mom part of parenting. I have always been very busy and very involved. I still try to get out of the house most days. Still, spending most of my time with a baby can be hard. I love my little girl to death, but sometimes I really just need to see adults!
Samantha – Not running to my sons rescue has been rough! But I’ve gotta say swallowing my pride takes the cake. Before I had my son i had a list of things (don’t worry, it was a mental list) that I would never do as a parent…slowly but surely they are getting crossed off… I mean sometimes you’ve gotta be that parent in target whose baby won’t stop crying…or that parent who licks clean a binky because you can’t find any water fountains…
Jill – For me my hardest challenge as a parent is disciplining. It really has been so difficult trying to figure out the best ways to discipline both of my kids. Sometimes I just feel like a failure in this department as a parent. I try one thing and they just do it again so I try something else and they end up doing it again. Its hard to find the best way for them to receive the discipline, if that makes any sense! I am doing my best everyday to stay consistent and find what works best in different situations!
Karen– Lack of sleep! At 27 months he is still up 3 or 4 times a night, on the best of nights. Throw in teething or illness and I’m up 8 to 10 times a night. Sometimes I feel that I can barely function… but I know that eventually this too shall pass!
Ashley – I think my biggest challenge so far as a parent would be getting little C to eat his fruits and veggies. He used to love them and out of the blue a few months ago he decided he no longer had interest in eating them ! I recently purchased Jessica Seinfeld’s book “Deceptively Delicious” and it has been a BIG saviour ! If you have a fussy eater I highly recommend check out her book !
Liz – The times when you have to give your children “tough love.” Whether it’s letting them cry it out so they’ll sleep through the night, taking away their pacifier, or letting them fail so they’ll learn a lesson.
Janiene – Honestly, the death of my independence. If I want to be a good Mom (by good I mean effectively redeeming these precious years and sewing good things into their little hearts) then I need to be focused, committed, passionate, excited, and willing to set aside my priorities, goals, and desires so that these little ones can get my all. Giving my all is hard – but it is worth it when I remember who I am giving my all to – my precious children. I love this quote, “Motherhood is hard work. It is repetitive and often times menial. Accept it. Rejoice in it. This is your toil. Right here. Those are their faces. Enjoy them. The days of your life are supposed to be full of things like this. But joy is not giddy. It’s not an emotional rush – it is what happens when you accept your lot and rejoice in your toil. So rejoice in your children. Look them in the eyes and give thanks. You will not even remember the work of all this planting when the harvest of joy overwhelms you.” Author unknown
Brittney – Knowing that I am helping shape the person this little one is going to grow-up to be. I know that some of it is dependent upon their personality; and that some traits have nothing to do with me. But as I teach my little girl, and she sees how I interact and treat others, I know I’m having an impact on her. I just hope it’s a good one! I would love for her to be a happy, hard-working, kind individual, and I hope that my husband and I can help make that happen.
Tygre – Patience. Patience. And Patience. I say patience, but I lack it very often indeed. Tod and I want to strive for holiness in our walks with Christ, but that also includes pursuing God in how we parent. We consistently need to pray for wisdom and love in how we react to things or interact with one another and our children. I can be super stubborn and impatient. Seeing Mae throw a fit or get frustrated is kind of like putting up a mirror to my attitude at times. She’s just more vocal about it 😉 I am beyond blessed and grateful for my hubby co-parent and my children, so that should reflect in how I act!
Liz – For me it’s trying to juggle all the different personalities and keep everyone happy. I actually had been pondering a post about this for a while, and finally wrote it out prompted by your question.
Jelli – It’s been a challenge for me to set aside the baby books and advice that so many helpful moms (and dads) kindly prescribe, and to take the time to figure out for myself the signals that my own unique baby gives as to when she needs rest, food, cuddles, etc.
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Hey y'all!I'm Kelley. I'm a recipe making, picture taking, coffee drinking momma to 4 crazy kiddos. Join me as I share our family favorite dinners and my copycat coffee drinks too!
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Katie says
I love this! It's so easy to get lost in the days frustrations, and when you have a crying baby, that doesn't really help matters much. But it's always nice to know that you are not the only one who struggles with things like this.
MiMi says
As they get older and different people and situations enter their life, you realize you can do nothing to help sometimes…and that, by far, has been the hardest for me. I used to be able to take care of any problems. 🙁
Bunch of Bishops says
Karen, I have SO been there! Hang in there fellow Mommy!! 🙂
Janiene
Debra Kapellakis says
patience and continuious discipline