Hey Lemmy!
I’m a dad to a two year old boy. He’s very energetic and needs quite a bit of supervision. Other than that I couldn’t wish for a better son. I’d like to preface my actual question with saying I want to be a parent and I wouldn’t change that given the possibility.
The question is, does it get any easier? I have been stuck in a loop of wake up, take care of breakfast and other preparations, go to work, go back to parenting and maybe two hours of rest after the kid falls asleep. It feels like I don’t rest enough. I will however add that I’ve struggled with depression for the better part of a decade, I’m still pretty heavily medicated and in therapy. I’m much better than I was a few years ago, but the feeling of tiredness and lack of strength to be the best parent I can is at times getting the better of me.
I’m fully aware I put myself in this situation and I’m not sure I’d be happier with no kids. I guess I’m just looking for other people’s stories of when they were in similar situations or simply some words of encouragement.
Thanks.
Yes.
Teach as much independence as their age allows.
Talk to them as an equal human, just smaller and less experience with things.
Calmly narrate everything you do.
Kids pickup on all this and the more they learn about how the world fits together, the more capable and confident they will be.
Try to encourage solo investigations of things, or quiet individual tasks like painting.
At 2 there is heaps of assistance you need to give. As the independence grows, your tasks may not get less, they just morph into something else.