Charlie O'Brien blog: the good and bad parenting days
This week I’ve had really bad parenting days and really good – and oddly, they were next to each other.
Yesterday I felt overwhelmed from the moment I got up.
Noah had slept all night in our bed, (my karma for telling people recently that he’s a much better sleeper!)
I had a pile of work to do bigger than Everest and my child seemed to just hate me and everything I tried to do for him.
It got so bad that I had to escape the house – alone! Luckily my husband doesn’t go to work until the afternoon most days so I often have the luxury of co-parenting in the mornings.
I went to a local coffee shop, grabbed the biggest piece of cake I could find and sat and read for about 40 minutes. It was bliss.
I’ve come to accept that some days parenting just feels tough.
Personally I get consumed with ‘mum guilt’ and feel like I’m doing a crap job – and those are the days I struggle the most. The little things get on top of me and I feel like a black cloud is hanging over me and like the walls are closing in.
But then the black cloud lifts, like today. Today I feel on top of the world and have enjoyed parenting my child more than anything.
This doesn’t mean I’ve been able to give him my undivided attention all day or doing anything special. On the contrary – I’m currently typing this while he’s watching Paw Patrol and playing with his trains alone.
**OK scrap all of that I’ve just realised he’s spat all his water down himself and needs a clean nappy! **
But the point I’m trying to make is that it’s OK to have bad parenting days when we feel like we’re drowning and will never see the bottom of the washing basket ever again.
When we feel lonely and slightly resent the rest of the world for seemingly doing more interesting things than us.
And I don’t care if you have one child or 20 – parenting is tough, and there are hard days in every week.
But I’ve definitely found that a good day usually follows and a lot of it is down to letting go of the guilt.
We’ve got this.
Charlie
X
Charlie is live on Facebook every day in December – follow what she’s up to here
