Parenting is difficult for everyone. Sometimes, it can feel like the bright spots are few and far between when you’re raising children, especially if they can’t do much on their own yet. You love your children deeply, but with each passing week, you have to face new challenges. It’s hard not to ask yourself if you’re doing a good job, and you frequently compare yourself to other parents.
When you’re struggling to manage all of your responsibilities, it can be tough to take a minute and genuinely celebrate those small wins. Maybe you’re proud of your toddler for learning a new skill, or you’ve realized that you and your partner handle parenting disagreements in a more mature fashion than you used to. Don’t just let these moments pass you by.
Celebrating Parenting Wins Helps...
Develop an Optimistic Perspective
It might seem like some people are naturally optimistic or pessimistic. But you can cultivate a more optimistic mindset through deliberate practice. By choosing to celebrate parenting wins, you might gradually find yourself becoming a bit more optimistic as time goes on. That’s because you’re shifting your focus to positive developments rather than solely thinking about the downsides of parenting or the rough patches you’ve been through.
Boost Your Personal Confidence
It can take time to feel secure in your own approach to parenting. Everywhere you turn, someone is telling you that you should be doing something differently. Whether it’s coming from a well-meaning friend, your own parents, or an article online, being bombarded by so much advice can cause you to doubt your instincts. But when your child hits a new milestone, however small, or you notice improvements in your own mindset, it’s validation that you’re doing something right.
Shift the Mood in Your Household
You don’t have to be happy and upbeat all of the time to be a good parent. With all of the hardships that come along with parenting, this is simply unrealistic. But when you learn to celebrate your parenting wins, you might notice that the mood in your household feels a little lighter. Your kids can easily pick up on the change in your outlook.
Acknowledge the Importance Of Personal Accomplishments
If you achieved something exciting at work, you would probably feel quite proud of yourself. You might even enjoy recognition from your manager or coworkers, and you wouldn’t hesitate to share the news with others. If you learned a new skill related to a creative hobby, you would probably have a similar reaction. Why shouldn’t your parenting wins earn the same response?
Parenting is hard work—there’s a reason that it’s often referred to as the hardest job in the world! If your hard work in other areas would be celebrated, it’s only fair to celebrate your parenting wins, too.
You Deserve to Celebrate
Life is too short to hold back joy. Childhood is fleeting, and before you know it, your children will be grown. That’s why it’s worth celebrating parenting wins. Yes, the day to day work of parenting might not be much fun, but there’s plenty of joy to be found on this journey too, and you deserve to embrace it. Some “wins” might seem inconsequential to other people, but you know your children best.
If you’ve noticed a positive change in their behavior, a celebration is always warranted. Not every celebration has to center around a huge milestone!
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Are you having trouble finding confidence in your parenting skills? Working with a therapist can help. Reach out to us to discuss your options for scheduling your first session.