Parenting rewarding? Is it really?

Ok, yes, parenting is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. There's the noise, the mess, lack of sleep and the worry. I tend to spend a lot of time here at the computer, as my partner and i do shared care, that is, he does the feeding and I do the playing and washing! lol. My time here at the computer means I am still available to my kids and they can play while being supervised. I think for me, the best thing is knowing that I am contributing something positive to the world!

I noticed that your responses to your post are split. I'm going to be completely honest here and I'm not trying to offend at all though some may take it that way. I have 2 kids- 2 and 6- one is in school half a day and 1 is not. I'm a stay at home mom- domestic engineer if you will. The posts on here from us with multiple children vary greatly than those with only one. I don't trust babysitters and have limited family to babysit- so needless to say I can't get out much for adult time even if I could I would be so exhausted so I probably wouldn't anyway. People with one child are always saying how much they dote on their child, blah blah, blah and how great it is. Sure it's great while at times it might be hard you only have one to worry about- sorry but one is a piece of cake. If you have one child and then have another you will understand this. If you only have one right now you will probably be mad that I said it. Then those of us with more than one tell it like it is- it's hard, absolutely thankless, with glimmers of rewards. Watching your child grow and turning into a person is rewarding in itself but you don't have time to think about it because you have school obligations with one and potty training with another- all the while brother and sister are running around the house like it's a playground while an obnoxious telemarketer is calling. Don't forget being home with kids, you must have all the time in the world to clean the house, do the laundry, make dinner, etc... since hubby or partner is working and they are sooooo tired after work, they plop their butt on the couch after work with the remote. There really isn't enough hours in the day for everything and you just pray and can't wait until bedtime so you can get a bath in and go to bed. I love the "show face" I especially see that when soccer moms are picking up their kids from school- I just want to slap their fakeness off of them and their salon perfect nails. There I am in sweats and a sweatshirt- a 2 year old squirming in my arms because if I let him down he'll probably dart in the street. At times, I do feel that this is the worst job ever and so hard- I wondered why I had them to begin with. It doesn't mean I don't love or care for them, it probably just means I had a bad day. My mind knows that it isn't the worst but some days are pure hell and because of exhaustion your irritable and just really don't feel like doing your everyday stuff- you just need a break that you can't catch so you cry instead. Then you have the days that you realize why you did it- like report card day and your kid does awesome or you finally after months get your baby to go in the potty with a smile on his face and then you realize that it isn't the worst, just hard and the unconditional love they bring along with the good times makes it all worth it.

hmmmmmmmmm i guess I really don't know cuz I don't have kids I think maybe an older well behaved one or two might be ok a quiet thoughtful one who smiled a lot and didn't scream or complain too much that seen , not heard kind of thing, and sugar and spice and all that maybe I would try it

For me it is not a face I put on! Being a mom will be the best thing that I do with my life. I have a job a house and all the other things that people are supposed to have. Doesn't mean anything without my kid. And yes I may fail. And yes there are horrible days where I say what the h--l am I doing and why did I do this. Days where I may not even get a shower and life sucks. But when it's not a "pure drag" it's the only job that matters. It's a parents piece of immortality. And your parents did and do the same thing. My mother still worries. It's the human process. All the snot, puke,poop and hard times are made worth it when I see the happiness of my child. at 41/2 she can zip her jacket help us with dinner(step stools are wonderful) do some basic math, she is becoming a person and yes I will always worry for her. Question is if you dont worry about something is it worth having? For me it makes that thing or person more valuable. The hardest job ever, doesn't make it the worst job ever

Have you ever heard the saying 'nothing worth having comes easy?' Well, it's true. If it's easy, where's the reward? You are correct 'being a parent is a very difficult, tiresome and sometimes thankless job." That is the very essence of the reward. The fact that it is difficult doesn't mean it's a drag, or that you can't enjoy it. Have you ever done something that was really, really hard, and then when you were done felt a feeling of accomplishment, and pride for seeing it through? That is what parenting is like. It's hard, but you do it because you love your children. Seeing them take their first steps, tie their own shoes, climb a tree, that is the reward. I can tell you that I do NOT put on a 'show face' or say what I think is politically correct, or what I think people expect me to say. I tell the truth. I LOVE being a parent, I LOVE spending my days with my son, I experience the rewards every single day. And yes, being a parent IS the best thing that has ever happened to me.

It's not just the parenting, to me, it's the loving part. I know parenting is very hard work, but when the love is so great it makes it worth it. I had a hard time raising my children as most of the time my kids were young, I was the sole parent. My kids turned out to be wonderful adults so I guess I did an okay job. The tell me they have wonderful memories about their childhood. I can't say the same about mine. They are well adjusted adults and will become wonderful parents themselves, one day, they say because I showed them how to be.

Thankfully our daughters are now raised. I loved them very much and do think that raising them was rewarding, however, it was also some of the worst times that tried my patients. The teen years are the hardest. I dont envy anyone who has teens. Now that they are grown and married, I can see how the way I handled them as children did influience them. At the time, I thoughtI was wasting my time trying to teach them right from wrong. I felt like there were not listening. Now I know there were listening. Even though they acted like they were not. Now I see the things in them that I tried so hard to instill in them. Yes, it is very rewarding but you may not know and will sometimes doubt it.

It can be a pretty tiring and endless job.I love my children as well but they are close in age (15 months apart)and they play good together sometimes but at times they fight like cats and dogs.LOL.And to top it all off some husbands dont help out as much as they should which is why I think their is a stronger bond between mother and child.Dont get me wrong some guys do help their wife out lots ,Some are stay at home dads while the mom goes out to work but some husbands always wake you up at night to say are you going to go get the baby and feed it or are you going to go check on so and so because they are crying instead of them getting up and helping.I can drag you down at times with the energy and also when you get older and the kids are grown up you are right you still worry.MY mom used to joke and say that it why I am getting gray hairs.But at times it is hard for us moms to even get time to ourself.A husband(some not all)will come home and think most of his work is done for the day since he went to work.Well what about us hardly ever getting break and also what about the moms that go out and work and then come home to have to do housework,cook,and take care of the kids.I dont know how they do it.I have been a stay at home mom ever since I was pregnant with my first child.At times I would like to go out and work just so I can get away for some time(pretty bad I have to go to work to do that LOL)but its such a hassle to find a babysitter(because you know the husband isnt going to call)and then you have to worr if you dont know the babysitter if they are a good one etc.Now if you know the babysitter that can be different but I think we would still worry just not as much.But I dont think other moms etc should get mad at other moms for voicing thier opinions.I think all moms get that way that theyt get tired and feel at times it can be a drag and if they dont they probably have some help or lots of help, etc.Alot of people bow it out of context as thinking that because a moms says that they are a bad mom which isnt the case.Beleive me their is some people that will blow anythng out of context.Sorry to vent.LOL.