Our Biggest Parenting Challenges
As parents, we all have worries concerning our kids. Big Parenting Challenges! Daily. In essence that is what parenting is all about, right?
Worrying about giving our kids all they need. And, worrying about doing the right thing for our kids. Also worrying about their health and wellbeing. Worries and more worries…
But don’t agonize. You are not the only parent with these daily worries. We all share them. Maybe in different terms and various degrees, but we all do. We worry about a lot of things concerning our kids. It is a big part of our parenting responsibilities.
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Related Be an Awesome Parent. 7 Super Simple Strategies.
This realization made me start my search for the biggest parenting challenges we have. Also, finding ways to deal with it. Reviewing all the most recent publications on parent worries resulted in this post.
I collated the various concerns into groups for kids- and parent-related worries. And where is the fun of reviewing lists if I can’t organize them into awesome acronyms! So here goes …
May BEAMS of light shine over you RESTing contently in the fact that you are an awesome parent … (-;
Following that bit of acronym fun, it is time to discuss all these big parenting challenges. Making sure we understand them and have access to the tools and tips needed to deal with it all!
Biggest Parenting Challenges
We will kick this off by discussing the parenting challenges related to kids. Information and tips on how to handle these concerns follow under each topic.
Behavior
There are many worries we share, concerning our kid’s behavior.
Across various surveys, the parenting challenges voted most worrying were
- sibling rivalry,
- public tantrums,
- bad language use and
- bullying
Siblings fight. Period. This holds true in most families and there is no evidence to prove that it will soon change. But if we worry about our kids fighting and being in constant competition AND it is not about to change soon, then what?
We discover ways to be power parents armored with the tools and know-how of handling difficult family relationships.
Sure as the fact that siblings will rival, is the occurrence of public tantrums. At some point or another, kids will test out their tantrum skills. Much to the embarrassment and amazement of their parents.
Again a good parent does not need to know how to avoid tantrums, however, they need the know-how to correctly handle it.
Here are some great tips on taking back control during tantrum tirades.
Bad Language
Kids repeat things they hear. When babies start to talk, this is a great skill. Hearing them say mommy or daddy for the first time after you repeated it non-stop for days, is beyond special.
A truly magic moment we all treasure!
However, hearing them repeat one of your swear words at the church group is not that special… The majority of kids using bad language heard it first at home and started to repeat it.
Whether parents at this point continue to use bad language or not, does not have much of an impact on your kids’ future language use.
Why? Because they already believe that it is appropriate to use bad words since their role models, i.e. their parents, use it. And, secondly, they continue to hear it outside the home.
So it has to be okay, right? This, in their minds, proves that bad language is acceptable. Oops… hearing your two-year-old use a swear word is all of a sudden not that cute anymore…
But it is not too late! Stop using bad language in your home and lead your kids by example. When they are old enough, be sure to have a discussion around the benefits of good language.
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Bullying.
Wow, where do I even begin with this difficult topic? Bullying is such a relevant and common challenge for us as parents that I can not possibly discuss the solutions in short here. It deserves a lot of thought, research and action plans, to teach parents to handle it effectively.
I think another post has just been born… In the meantime, be sure to check out these super useful posts on what bullying is, what the longterm effects are and how to handle it – a great free download.
More superb bullying resources to help you
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Education
The successful education of our kids is a constant concern. We want them to thrive at school and excel at everything. Unfortunately, they often don’t…
Even when you have the most brilliant, most contentious child in the world.
Inevitably there will be a time you need help supporting their education.
Specifically, parents have worries about getting kids to do their homework and work hard at school. Knowing how to successfully educate our children from a young age helps.
You can easily discover their learning styles and implement strategies to help them learn. By boosting their brain power and memory further with superfoods, you will give them that extra performance boost they need. Raising smart kids can be THIS easy.
A part of kids’ education lies in managing their time and providing the opportunity for brilliance.
The excessive allowance of screen time also negatively impacts your child education in more ways than one. You can read more about screen time limits here.
And, find powerful learning toys according to the developmental stage to boost their learning at all ages.
Autonomy
Teaching our kids self-sufficiency is what parenting is all about. Sadly, these skills do not come easily.
It is a daily struggle to get them to effectively clean their teeth, get dressed by themselves and get them toilet trained.
Luckily there is a lot of great information out there to make these jobs just a little bit easier. Expert parents who have already been through the process love to share their do’s and don’ts.
So make sure to tap into these great resources. Here are some actionable tips for toilet training, teeth cleaning and kid’s independence.
Meal times
Meal times are a big headache for many parents at many a time. Kids don’t want to eat this, they don’t want to eat that. Their favorite food today is avoided by all means tomorrow.
Fruits and vegetables grow on foreign planets and are definitely not suitable for human child consumption…
I can’t possibly eat anything more, Mommy… this, after eating two bites from their plate. Annoying when your 5-year old says this. Extremely worrying when your teenage girl makes this statement…
Here is how to know when teenager eating preferences need your immediate attention and how to ensure healthy eating habits.
How many times do you need to ask your child to use their knife and fork? Seriously… How can they forget to say please and thank you from one night at the table to the next? I hear you!
We all do! Let’s stick together and train our kids the best table manners ever by using brilliant games like these and beat one of the biggest parenting challenges.
Sleeping habits
Getting to the stage where kids stay in their beds at night and sleep through is tricky. It usually tests our patience and willpower.
There are many different recommendations on how to get this right. But how do I know which one will work for me?
This is how – You try them all out until you find the one that works for you!
Every parent and every child is different and just because one parent firmly believes in the efficacy of a certain sleeping strategy for their child, does not mean it is going to work for you.
As parents, we need to know from day one that it is okay to do whatever is working for you. Withing reasonable limits off course …
Never judge other parents for making things work in their way. Just because their 3-year-old still sleeps in the bed with them, or their 5-year-old has to drink chocolate milk every night to sleep, does not mean they are bad parents.
They are simply doing whatever they have to, to survive parenthood. And that’s okay!
We all know what the right and the wrong way of doing things are but sometimes we just need to break the rules and get some sleep!
You can check out these great posts for tips on sleep training for your baby and secrets to help kids sleep on their own.
The strategy in this book empowered me as a mommy and ensured we all got enough sleep!
It’s a number 1 best seller for a reason …
Getting everyone out of bed and ready for the day surely proves difficult from time to time. The best to way handle this, is to make sure the kids get enough hours of quality sleep.
Going to bed early is one of the most effective ways of ensuring a smooth morning routine. And this also holds true for parents. Get enough sleep, rise a bit earlier in the morning. And, be patient and kind in the process of getting everyone out of the house.
You can find great morning routine hacks and tips here.
Another great tip is teaching your kids the value of being kind.
Make this easy by grabbing a copy of the 50 Family Kindness Hackness.
Biggest Parenting Challenges
Now that we understand the kid’s related parenting challenges, let’s dive into the concerns linking to us as parents. Thus, our resources, skills, emotional intelligence and very importantly, our time management skills.
Resources
During a survey of more than 2,000 parents, the majority were worried whether they will be able to afford things their kids need. And the simple answer, applicable to most of us, is NO!
You can not possibly afford everything your kids needs or wants. And, you know what – that is perfectly fine!
You don’t need to buy kids all they need or want. Often it is very easy to make different plans to provide necessities and definitely luxuries. Be creative. Create games with everyday household items. Transform old clothes into fashionable new ones.
When you do spend money on toys, make sure they are educational and appropriate for your kids’ developmental stage.
The Magic of Creating New Things from the Old
Your daughter probably loves having a new handbag just as much as mine does. But why don’t you try sewing it from your old jeans rather than spending a lot of money on a new one? Add her initial or favorite shape on it, and she’ll think you are the best parent ever!
How is that for dealing with your parenting challenges like a rockstar!
This is the kind of attitude you need to adopt to provide kids with everything they need and want, without breaking the bank. You will be amazed at the value of creating a mission with your kids.
For example, make Halloween costumes together. Not only will you save money, but you will also have lots of fun together. Have the kids volunteer ideas and help with painting and creating.
This is a sure power parent way of providing kids with everything they need AND want!
Parents also listed, as one of the biggest parenting challenges, their inability to know the answers to all the questions their kids have. But you know what, you do not need to have all the answers. No parent does!
Luckily we live in an era where information is freely available. The internet provides us with invaluable parenting help and tips.
Yes, you might not have the answer right away, but research a topic and revive a discussion that previously made you uncomfortable. Just remember to choose good sources when looking for answers. Wikipedia should never be valued as an evidence-based resource …
So choose your resources wisely! And, remember your treating physician, nurse and psychologist are always available to lead you in the right direction when they can’t help.
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Emotional intelligence
Are all parents intelligent? Yes of course! Are all parents emotionally intelligent? Mostly, No!
And, it is not because we lack emotional intelligence, it is simply because we are tired, and stressed and therefore inpatient and irritated…
Patience is a virtue secret, well-kept by the non-parent guardians.
We all get upset, we all get to the very end of our staying power. It’s normal. The best of parents sometimes lose their nerve. The problem is not as much the loss of our endurance as it is how we react to it.
And, our ability to rectify the situation with limited damage. You can find a great post with tips to stop yelling and be a more patient parent here. Fight these parenting challenges now and join the Awesome Parent Challenge!
Skills
Sleep deprivation is one of the biggest motives for sometimes losing our spirit. There is a reason why it is used as a punishment strategy by the military…
No human can cope with too little sleep. Not even you …
As we can not change the fact that from time to time parenthood results in sleep deprivation, we can surely have strategies to limit the negative results thereof.
Go to bed earlier. Use the 4-7-8 breathing technique to improve the quality of your sleep. Practice yoga and meditation every day to relax during the day.
You can use these awesome mommy strategies to find 5 minutes in a day to do this.
Parenthood is unfortunately not the only stressor in our lives. We have to deal with a lot of stress related to work, family and more.
Since stress is the norm of everyday living we need to have the ability to handle it better.
Try out these great stress-reducing strategies or if you can’t seem to cope, get help!
Dealing with an ill child is a very difficult situation that often scares a lot of parents.
Being a medical doctor myself limits this challenge in my parenthood concern list. However, I have first-hand experience of parents looking for help and advice to better handle their ill child and would love to share great tips and hacks with you.
This is exactly why I am busy creating a course with actionable steps to help you with this parenting challenge.
Be sure to keep an eye out for this course that will empower you to handle your ill child effectively and without added stress.
Being prepared for situations, combined with an understanding of what your child needs when ill, will take most of the stress out of this big parenthood challenge.
This is exactly what the My Child is Ill, Super Tips, Hacks and Action Steps for Parents, an interactive online course, will be all about.
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Time management
Washing. Ironing. Cleaning the floors and windows. Our everyday household chores list is never-ending. But do not let this get you down.
A bit of dust on a window sill for one extra day is not going to kill anyone. Do what you can. And, leave the rest for tomorrow.
Put strategies in place to manage your time as a parent well and don’t be stressed out if things don’t run according to your plan. Get some awesome tips for the overwhelmed mom here.
Better time management will not only help you organize your home and time but also ensure your family starting their days and getting to work and school on time.
Without enduring yelling, rushing and unwanted tears…
So this then concludes the list of biggest parenting challenges. I hope this post will help you be aware of all the concerns we share and have a better idea of how to deal with it. Even if you don’t worry about them yet, you are sure to get there.
Anticipating these concerns, and preparing beforehand to deal with them, will take a lot of stress from your daily life.
Do you have any big worries as a parent, other than those discussed above? Then please share them and let us all learn from your worries and be prepared for when it also hits us. Love to hear from you!
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