Piloting Parenthood: A Foolproof Plan
Parenting is never an easy thing. A child will change your life drastically, bringing with it a host of different ups and downs. Of course, mosts mothers and fathers don’t decide to have children for the benefits, though. Instead, you choose to have them because you feel ready to dedicate yourselves to something greater. For those willing to put in the time, parenting can be made much easier, anyway. So, to help you out, this post will be going through each stage of your kid’s lives, to give you an idea of how you can plan for each of them.
- Before They’re Born
The time before you have your child is a critical one. A lot of people will cut things out of their life, ensuring that their child is born as healthy as possible. Along with this, people will change their diet and habits, to meet the same goal. You can also use this stage for some learning, though. As a new parent, it’s unlikely that you have any real experience raising a child. In this situation, it’s very helpful to start developing your plan and gaining some knowledge surrounding this difficult area.
It’s very common for new parents to take classes before they have their child. Like a normal school, you will have classes with other pupils and a teacher with a wealth of experience. In these sessions, you can learn about everything, from caring for the child up until it’s birth to making sure they develop well into their teen years. Along with this, you can also use online resources like Barbara’s Taeq blog about parenting to give a lot of insight into what other parents are doing. Using tools like this can often be one of the best ways to help you to develop your parenting plan.
- A Baby
The physical act of having a child is never an easy one. A mother needs to be able to relax and go with the flow during this time, making it imperative that dad takes on as much work as possible. Once the child is born, you will need to be ready to take them home and look after them for at least a few days. Most parents will make sure they have a huge supply of food, nappies, and other baby essentials before their new family member comes home.
With your baby home, you’re ready to begin the first year of their life. This will be one of the most testing periods during your time as a mom or dad. Your child will require constant looking after. As a team, you both have to work hard to make sure the work is evenly spread. Without this collaboration, it will be almost impossible to make sure that your child is looked after correctly.
With this time being so hard, a lot of people look to help when they’re trying to plan for it. The biggest issues most parents face will be bed and meals time. Most babies will be very hard to get to sleep, even when the conditions are just right. Along with this, some infants will struggle to eat when they’re very young. To help with both of these, a doctor will be able to give you the best advice. The new technology surrounding this area is constantly being developed, and a medical professional will have the best inside scoop.
- A Toddler
As your child reaches a year or two old, they can’t be considered a baby anymore. At this stage, your child will start to develop a much stronger personality, as they begin to move on their own and start being able to talk. This part of a child’s upbringing is hard because they are very curious about the world around them. Unfortunately, though, this curiosity doesn’t come with the awareness an older person will have. Instead, they will be reckless and hard to control.
At this stage, the best help you can plan for is a nanny or babysitter. With children of this age, having a break is one of the biggest reliefs you can get, but you need to find a professional with the right level of experience to help you. Websites like Babycenter have loads of tools to help you to find the best nanny for your child. Along with this, a lot of parents will also use books and other resources to help them with their fast learning child, but daycare options can work, too.
- A Child
It doesn’t feel like long before your child will be donning a uniform and making their way to school. At this point in their life, your role will start to change a little bit. Instead of looking after their most basic needs, you will start having to help them with their education and development in other areas. Of course, you have loads of people to help you. But, it’s still important that you put the right level of effort into this stage for your child. Their first few years at school could shape their academic future to a huge degree.
To plan for this stage, you should have a good idea of the best school in your area long before you child reaches the age to go. Different schools will have different rules for entry, making it important that you understand the criteria to meet to get your kids into the school you like the most. Along with this, you can use online advice to give you some pointers. Your biggest role will be helping them with their work, though. So, you’ll have to be ready to set aside some of your free time for homework and other education.
- A Teenager
Fast forward a few years, and you’ll find yourself sharing a home with someone on their way to adulthood. Unfortunately, though, teenage years are often incredibly challenging for both the child and the parents. They will undergo more change here than at any other stage during their life. As a parent, you have to be willing to change with them. You can expect your offspring to want more freedom at this point, wanting to explore the world without the shackles they had in the past. But, they might not be quite ready yet.
A lot of the decisions and choices you have to make at this point are very hard. Your child will want to engage in activities which you might view as dangerous, or they might want to spend their money on things you don’t like. Finding the balance throughout these stages can be very hard. It can be worth coming up with a year by year plan before the child is even born, just to make sure you can start working towards this when they’re still young. Along with this, even in incredibly happy homes, some teenagers need some help with their moods. Most medical professionals will be able to refer you to the right people to talk to about this, making it easy to get outside support if it’s needed.
- A Young Adult
Once your child reaches their later teen years, they can’t really be considered a kid anymore. Instead, at this point, they are a young adult. This stage of their life will be much more challenging for them than it is for you. At this point, they will be mostly on their own to survive in the world. Some people struggle to transition from living with their parents to finding their own life. So, the support you give them at this stage can be vital.
Money will be one of the biggest issues your child has during their first few years as an adult. To solve this for them, a lot of parents will create savings for their children long before they ever need it. This gives you the chance to save enough for your child to get a car as soon as they need one. Or, it could pay for their education, helping them to have a better future. It’s normal for your role to shift as your children get older, from caretaker to financial and emotional support. This transition can be welcome, though, especially after years of parenting.
You can’t plan for everything you’ll experience as a parent. Everyone has their own experience when undertaking this task, with each child being so unique. This doesn’t mean that you can’t make the whole thing a lot easier, though. A lot of parents find that planning for their kid’s lives will give them an edge while they’re raising them. It gives you the chance to avoid hard situations when you don’t have the time to make up for lack of planning. And, of course, it also gives you the chance to enjoy as much time with your child as possible.
Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder on the planning you put into your parenthood. For the little work you have to do here, the results can be amazing. A lot of people worry that looking for help makes them a bad parent. In reality, though, working hard to improve the way you look after your children is the best gift you can give them.
