Return on your Investment

Most investments are intended to have a long game return. Parenting is one of those investments that you can never be quite sure of the return. We all want our kids to be good humans. Most of us do anyway. When the market is up your kid is getting good grades, working hard, and genuinely fun to be around. When the market crashes shit hits the fan. Suddenly they are mouthy, disrespectful, sneaky and honestly a complete pain in the ass.

Some days all you can do is focus on the return of this investment. All of those hard days, the tough lessons, stupid choices and consequences for their own actions are molding them and shaping them for the future. Experiences good and bad are necessary for growth. How can you possibly be a successful human being if you’ve never experienced disappointment, fear, or regret? Empathy and compassion are learned.

If you are struggling right now, I can assure you that you are not alone. Why is there a stigma when it comes to parenting? I have had so many conversations that have started with “I feel so guilty for saying this” or “do you think other parents feel this way, they just don’t talk about it?” YES! Of course other parents feel this way. If you don’t feel like you’ve been punched in the gut and completely deflated, you’re doing something vastly different than me.

Here’s what I’ve learned over the years. People will always judge your parenting style, those people don’t matter. Don’t ever say my child would never. That is when you will discover that the taste of crow is something you only want to have once, and that taste will last you a lifetime. There will always be things that you wish that you handled differently, be gentle on yourself. You are not alone.