This weekend I read a short story from one of my favorite authors. It made the incredibly important point that a key to parenting is not to pretend that you have it all figured out and that it is all good all of the time. You hurt yourself (who do you turn to when things are not good?) and others (who feel even more guilty when the reality of hard times inevitably come up (yearly? monthly? daily? well, things have been good for the last half hour or so).
She makes the point that a) kids are the only humans we can act mean or rude with and get away with it, b) they are super crazy needy and energetic and c) they always seem to be around and wanting to hang out with you… even if you are tired.
You are going to feel angry at times,
You are going to feel annoyed at times,
You are going to feel too exhausted to go on at times,
Your kiddos will shock you at times,
You are going to feel bored at times…
This is all normal.
Be open and honest. Be authentic. Surround yourself with people, or at least a person you can share all of that with if needed.
It is beyond worth it. Love does conquer all. But damn it is hard sometimes.
By being real with others around you, you will get through those hard moments yourself and be there when others need to be reminded of just how worth it this whole journey is. Christina and I have a whole list of stories and failures locked and loaded, ready to be used as our resounding “Amen” to you should you ever need someone to share your difficult times with. Just know that we will end by telling you without a doubt just how worth it this whole thing is.