Kids are the most important thing in our lives. Every parent will say that. They are an endless source of joy, pride, and happiness for most of the parents around the world.
However, it’s also true that our children who we love more than we love ourselves could drive us crazy to the point where we want to leave the house and run away forever.
The reason is that kids are more emotionally exhausting than working a job you hate, especially newborns. That, of course, comes as no surprise. Having a baby also involves feeding, soothing, bathing, dressing, powdering, playing with him or her. And these activities cause more fatigue and stress rather than joy and satisfaction. Most parents who stay at home will confirm that.
Actually, if a working parent spends one day at home with their children, they most probably will feel like they can’t wait to go back to work.
There is even a nationwide survey conducted in the U.K. It has revealed that a lot of parents get more stressed while at home with their kids than when they are at work. The survey was carried out by AVEENO® Baby. It included 1,500 mothers and fathers from different parts of the country who worked or were stay-at-home parents.
You can see the results of the survey below:
- 25% declare that according to them having a baby is easy.
- 55% agree that taking care of a baby is draining.
- After having their first child 40% stopped judging other parents when the latter complained from their kids.
- 31% think that being at home with children is more stressful than spending time at work
- 45 % of the women relied on their own mother’s advice rather than on the numerous NCT (National Childbirth Trust) classes and self-help books.
- 71% think that social media creates competition between parents because everyone is trying to be as good as someone else.
- 39% admitted they are exhausted all the time.
- 9% are worried about their children’ sleep habits.
- 22% are insecure about their newborns’ eating habits.
- 27% think they have to be perfect parents
Despite these results, 42% of the parents that participated in the study believe that since they became moms and dads for the first time they’ve been feeling pure, unconditional love for their child.
The truth is that the feeling every parent experiences when they see their child happy, healthy and successful brings a satisfaction like no other. However, taking care of a child also goes with a big dose of stress.
And although people who have kids don’t usually complain about the negative sides of parenting most of them would like to make their stay at home with the children somehow less stressful.
Here is why it was useful to conduct a survey which could help new parents get over their worries.
“Becoming a parent is an amazing experience, but we understand that entering this new chapter of life can also bring with it a great deal of stress and worry, so we wanted to discover more about what new parents experience in the first few years, what they wish they had known and how best we can support them,”, Aveeno Baby Skin expert, Rebecca Bennett explained to The Sun.