Have you ever regretted being a parent? You might be gasping right now at the audacity to ask such a question, but I can’t help it. I saw a Dr. Phil show this past week where a woman felt this way.
She said that she felt like running away sometimes and hates being a wife and mom. What are her reasons for such feelings? She doesn’t receive enough help from her husband, who feels that his job is to provide and her job is to take care of the family. Oh by the way, she also worked full-time.
I think the trouble is that she is going about this solo. And when there is a marriage, it isn’t meant to be solo. It’s to be a partnership and that includes in raising children.
I know that I have never regretted being a parent but yes, there have been moments in time when I too have felt like running away. The overwhelming task of parenting can become weary. But it is in those moments when we need more than ever to plug in.
I was a stay-at-home mom all the years my children were young. I even homeschooled my oldest son until he entered the 5th grade and my daughter until she entered 2nd grade. At one time in particular when my youngest was a baby and my daughter was 2 years old and my oldest was 5 years old, was an especially difficult time.
It seemed like chaos surrounded me. I was dealing with breastfeeding, diapers, tantrums and trying to “teach” my 5-year-old. The next few years continued to be a great challenge as I then went forth with homeschooling.
Now that I am facing all three of my children turning 12, 14 and 17 years old in the next two months…I look back on that time and I wish I could redo some of it. I wish I could have appreciated it more and realized that one day I would miss moments, yes, even the difficult ones.
Parenting is a challenge for sure. Each stage brings new challenges but to ever regret being one…I really can’t imagine feeling that way. Yet we also need to be realistic and understand why some parents might feel that way. We need help, resources, support and encouragement to get through some of the more difficult times.
Parents who have young children don’t like to be reminded a hundred times about how fast time goes by but I don’t care…we all need that reminder. What seems so impossible at the time you will one day look back on and wonder why you didn’t enjoy it more.
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