Sometimes Being a Parent Sucks

Today I found myself saying 'being a parent can suck.' It really can, right? Snow days and early dismissals don't affect my parenting anymore (and that will be true for you, too, one day, if it isn't already), but I remember. I remember feeling overwhelmed by trying to maintain some sense of routine in our family, feeling exhausted by all of the emotions and needs in one little house, feeling like I needed to take care of everyone but myself, and feeling like I couldn't face feeding everyone one more meal.

I hate to join the multitudes offering advice, but I have some for you (or maybe for the me that needed it):

• Breathe into your feelings right now. It is okay to let yourself feel what you feel.
• Don't confuse feelings with choices! You can feel angry without yelling. You can feel exhausted without complaining. You can feel worried without fixing. Feeling is internal.
• Create space for yourself. It's not going to be as much space as you want, but it will be enough. Use your time to look at something beautiful--just gaze at the sky or a color you love. Use your time to drink a cup of tea mindfully and do nothing else. Use your time to play your favorite song really loud and sing along, maybe even dance. Care for yourself a bit.
• Stop thinking about how things should be! Don't use your little bits of personal time to look at social media, shop online, plan a diet, or escape reality. It seems like it's going to help, but it doesn't help.
• And then remind yourself, it's okay, the way this is going right now. You are enough.

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