Posted: 1/23/2014

Parenting: Hardest Job or Best Job?

Parenting is often referred to as the hardest job anyone will ever have. You may also hear a parent say becoming a parent has been the best thing that has ever happened to them. So which one is it? Best job or hardest job?

Let’s consider some parenting scenarios to help answer the question at hand.

What comes to mind when we think of an infant cuddling ever so gently with his mother or the first time he responds to his father’s voice with a smile? Now let’s take that same infant who has been crying for the last 30 minutes and the parents don’t know what else to do?

How about a toddler that has just learned to recite her ABC’s or learned to count to 20? Consider this same toddler throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store for no apparent reason.

We can even consider a teen giving her parent an eye roll after getting in trouble for texting during class. How might the parents of this teen feel when they learn she stood up for a friend who was being bullied just as her parents had taught her to?

Parenting appears to be somewhat of a roller coaster ride to say the least. It is a journey filled with challenges and great rewards.

We want to assist parents by providing information and important discussion relating to issues parents face. Chime in with a comment and let us know what types of information would be most helpful to you as a parent/caregiver.

We look forward to coming alongside parents on their ever important journey as they prepare our next generations for success!

If you have additional questions about Heartland for Children's Prevention programs, please contact us at prevention@heartlandforchildren.org.