3 Things They Don’t Tell You About Being a Parent

Becoming a parent is a massive learning curve. Nowadays, there is a lot of information out there which is supposed to guide you seamlessly into parenthood; from classes on prenatal care and birthing your baby, to books which cover each of the stages of development in your child’s life. However, despite all of the books, films and classes open to parents, there are many things which no parent is ever really warned about before having kids, such as the worries and concerns you’ll face, and the life changes you’ll have to adapt to. For example, here are three things which no one warns you about when it comes to being a parent.

Photo by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash

You are always concerned about your child’s health

Of course, as a parent, you always want your child to be as happy and healthy as they are physically able to be. When it comes to having your first new baby, it is common for parents to be apprehensive about the slightest cough or cold. However, the part that no one mentions is that the feeling of worry never really goes away. That urge to protect your child from harm is something you are likely to carry even when your baby becomes a 50-year-old with kids of their own.

Even just taking your children to the doctors, you’ll find yourself questioning the doctor’s flippant diagnoses of a cold, wondering in the back of your mind if there could be something more to it than that. Of course there never usually is anything seriously wrong, (although if you feel medical misconduct has taken place, then you can always contact medical negligence solicitors for advice), but as a parent, it’s hard to let go of the desire to fix everything.

It’s harder to discipline your children than it seems

No parent ever wants to scold their children, but sometimes discipline has to be given. However, what people don’t tell you is that it is a lot harder to tell off your kids than you would think. Children hate to be told they’re in the wrong and, young children especially, will often cry when they are scolded, something which no parent ever wants to see; it just breaks your heart!

You’ll miss adult conversation

Children are really dependant on you for the first decade of their life, and even after that they still rely on you for a lot of things. Once you have a child, you are pretty much committed to spending the majority of your time with your children when you aren’t at work or busy running errands, and at some point, you will start to miss adult conversation. Of course, children can be great company too, but when you do get a few moments alone with other adults, it’s something you really learn to appreciate.

Not only that, but you may find that your friendships change after having kids, as you’ll end up meeting more people who have children of their own, and find that your friends who aren’t parents start to fade away. This is a perfectly natural transition, as you have more in common with other parents, but it can still be a difficult change to get used to.

This is a collaborative post.