Having a baby doesn’t come with directions. I’ve heard people say that once you give birth, you just know what to do. Let me tell you, that’s not true. Despite all the research I did during my nine months of pregnancy, I was at a loss. Being a confident parent wasn’t easy.
Early Parenting Challenges
From the moment I welcomed my babies, so many thoughts ran through my head. My daughter was a colicky baby. She cried nonstop for weeks on end. It turned out my diet was too much on her tiny tummy. I had to completely strip my diet and start from scratch, eliminating dairy, gluten and few spices. Eventually she responded better to my breast milk, and her breastfeeding experience was smooth sailing thereafter.
When it came to my son, being a confident parent was the last thing on my mind. Why? Because he was a surprise. In fact, I was in denial for the first few weeks of my pregnancy. For some weird reason I couldn’t face the fact that I was expecting, even after having a positive pregnancy test result.
Even though I felt my baby’s strength grow in my womb week after week, I still worried about his health throughout the pregnancy. It was pretty clear that he had a rough time traveling through the birth canal.
My baby boy appeared to have battle scars, as is if he’d been fighting for his life. But, that was not the case. He was healthy, and I was [and still am] one proud mama. However, there were a few hiccups along the way. I later learned that he had jaundice. He was also tongue tied and had cradle cap.
Would he need to stay in the hospital longer? Will he have speech problems? Would his cradle cap ever go away? Fortunately, he overcame those setbacks.
How Long Until I Became a Confident Parent
I share all of this because like many parents who put on a brave face, the reality is that sometimes we’re not that sure. But our lack of confidence doesn’t mean we’re horrible parents. We’re not oblivious to our children’s needs. It’s just that sometimes it takes time figuring out solutions to problems, as well as how to deal with them.
So I’ll admit I wasn’t always a confident parent. But, I’ve come a long way. These experiences have helped me become more self assured. So when there are moments my when judgement as a parent is tested, I think of all the parenting challenges I have had and how I’ve overcome them. Sometimes, reading posts like osho quotes can aid in regaining confidence.
When someone questions my parenting decisions, I feel confident and hold true to the choices I make. Am I the perfect parent? Hell no. No one is! We all make mistakes, but it’s how we learn from our mistakes that count. That’s how we grow. That’s how to become a confident parent.
It’s hard to put a timestamp on how long it takes to become a confident parent. The truth is that it’s a never ending cycle. That’s what being a parent is all about.
