Being a parent is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s exhausting. It’s frustrating. It’s downright debilitating sometimes.
More often than not I’m stressed, frustrated, even angry. And I hate that.
Parenting requires so much sacrifice. Am I sacrificing too much that I’m losing who I am? I’m too tired to want to play. I’m too stressed to enjoy things I used to love.
Some days I feel like I just want to run away from it all. Run away from the whining and crying, the sleepless nights, and the responsibility.
But I can’t.
When I have these thoughts and feel these feelings it makes me doubt my ability as a parent. Makes me question, am I really cut out for this?
I don’t dare say it out loud. Saying it out loud, that I feel inadequate as a parent, means admitting failure.
So I keep it to myself. I try not to show just how beat down and tired I am. Try to keep my anger under control. Try to breathe.
For them. They’re the reason I suffer through all of this pain, frustration, exhaustion, and sacrifice. Because these two tiny people have turned my world on its head in all kinds of crazy, wonderful, aggravating, terrifying, beautiful ways.
And I would do anything for them.
Dan Hauk 
“am I really cut out for this?”
Yes, you are. You said it all in that final sentence. And admitting that it’s hard is the first step: you’re keeping it real. I remember when I was a new mom and told one of my friends how awful it was — the lack of sleep, the crying (both mine and our son’s), the resentment (I’ll never get to eat in a fancy restaurant again! I’ll never be able to use the bathroom alone again!) — she raised an eyebrow and said, “Wow, I’ve never heard anyone say that out loud before.” She didn’t judge me though – she appreciated that I was honest. Parenting is hard, and that’s real. Pretending it’s not doesn’t do anyone, including our children and other future parents, any favors. And being honest about the fact that it _is_ hard, helps others feel less guilty about those secret feelings of shame that all parents harbor, and it sets more realistic expectations of what it’s like to enter into parenthood.
Also, it does get a lot easier 🙂
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