There is no bigger adventure in life that having a child, most parents would tell you so. But unfortunately, for a lot of parents, having a child is also the beginning of a life of stress and anxiety, not so much because of they are not ready for the world of parenting, but because they have to deal with huge social pressures and parenting dilemmas. You might not have considered the dilemmas that new parents face every day. There is a gap between what is expected from them and what parents should do. The gap defines their choices, and if these are not following the main social trends, parents can feel unnecessarily judged by their peers. So, here are for you the main steps on your journey as a parent, and how to deal with the social pressure around each one of them. Nobody has ever claimed that parenting was easy, but this article can hopefully make it a smoother and less stressful experience.
New Parents: Ignore The Social Pressure
If you are expecting a child, or if you have a baby, you have probably come across most parenting advice on how to take care of babies and toddlers. Whether you’ve read it in a book, or you’ve asked your friends and relatives, you have surely noticed that there is a huge emphasis on breastfeeding. Indeed, breastfeeding reduces the risk of infections for your baby. But, not every mother likes the idea to breastfeed their child. Too many women feel inadequate because they don’t breastfeed. Your baby is going to be fine, and formula is not synonymous with poison. It’s important to remember that the choice is yours and you feed your baby in the best possible way for both of you. Don’t let social pressures convince you otherwise. Another common debate relates to the ways of carrying your baby. Most parents prefer baby carriers – and if you do too, you can find the best baby carrier choices on ebestpicks.com – as they feel safer and provide better support to your baby. However, books that promote a closer bond suggest baby wraps to allow maximum contact. Here it’s about trying out the options to find out what works best for you.
No Badly Behaved Children
Everyone who has a child dreams of a polite and respectful child. But you have surely come across shouty and rude children in the past. Whether you’ve seen them in the shopping center, or they are your neighbor’s, you need to remember one thing. Children are not born with bad manners. Instead, they learn by copying what they see. In short, if a child screams and shouts, it’s likely that he or she has observed the parents or someone else do the same. So, your role as a parent is to be a model to help your child embrace a positive behavior.
The Difficult Teenage Years
Teens are renowned to be more difficult to deal with. In truth, if you have developed a trust relationship with your children, the teenage years are no better nor worse than any other. But, teens are also expanding their network and their interest and making the most of modern life’s facilities, including the digital world. A trust relationship with your kid is not enough to protect them from online predators. So be proactive and monitor their online activities to limit risks. However, draw the line between monitoring and spying. Your teen will know. But, the parenting dillemas that come with teenagers are enough for their own post. To be continued.
What are some parenting dillemas that you’ve run into? Which parenting dillemas have you nervous?
