Is raising kids tougher than you thought it would be? You’re not alone, as a new survey finds a lot of moms and dads are struggling and feeling unprepared. It can be so challenging, they question their parenting skills three times a week, on average.
The poll of 2-thousand U.S. parents with kids ages 11 and younger reveals:
- Moms and dads admit they feel like a “bad” parent an average of three times a week, adding up to 156 times in a year.
- Respondents admit they need a break from parenting duties twice a week.
- Signs it’s time for that break include “when the stress makes me cry” and “when I begin to feel unnecessarily angry.”
- And it’s not just the kids, parents struggle with overwhelming things including financial pressures (42%), a lack of personal time or self-care (34%) and balancing work and family responsibilities (34%).
- Some also have a hard time managing parenting advice and expectations from others (16%).
- While some moms and dads seem to know how to do it all, the average parent confesses that they encounter two situations with their kids per week that they have no clue how to handle.
- Nearly half (45%) admit that parenthood is more demanding than they expected.
- But that doesn’t mean they talk about it, as 41% say they keep those parenting frustrations to themselves.
- That may be because when they shared their struggles in the past, they felt judged by their own parents (24%), partner (23%) and friends (15%).
- Despite that, parents say they know to ask for extra support for their child when they feel overwhelmed or frustrated (33%), they’ve tried everything they can think of on their own (27%), or when a professional, like a doctor or teacher, recommends it (12%).
- On the bright side? Parents say their kids make them laugh 12 times a day on average.
Source: Talker⠀