Being a parent is one of the most complex and complicated roles you’ll ever take on in your life. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, preparing to be a mom or dad is extremely scary. It’s scary enough when you think about the arrival of a new baby, let alone when you think about the long future ahead of you. You’ll be in charge of this child from their very first breath up until they turn into an adult. They’ll be living under your roof probably until they’re 18 and then you whisk them off to college.
So, that’s a pretty long time, and there are so many different stages of parenthood along the way. For anyone that’s got a child on the way and is a little bit scared about their future, I’ve put together a little guide. In it, you can see all the different stages you’ll go through, and some tips on how to cope with your child as they grow up. Of course, this is still a good little guide for anyone already with children. If your kids are a certain age, you can skip ahead to one of the stages that you’ll be coming up to in the future!
To find all this parental goodness, get comfy, and read the guide below:
The first stage is probably the best – while also being the most stressful! The baby years are when your child is at their cutest. You have a newborn baby, and it’s more about getting settled than anything else. The good thing is your child is too young to really cause lots of issues. Most parents will have the same problems to overcome during this stage, so there’s plenty of help out there.
The main concerns for you during this stage really revolve around your baby and how comfortable and healthy they are. You want to make sure they’re sleeping well, which can often be a cause for concern. Babies tend to be up all night, but there are things you can do to help them sleep better. Also, you have to ensure they’re eating well, which means getting some good baby food that’s easy for them to swallow and packed full of nutrients.
This is your first experience of being a parent, so you can be highly overwhelmed by this. The best approach is to just try and remain calm and realize that you aren’t alone. A lot of parents struggle to adapt, and crying babies are a common occurrence. If your child cries whenever you touch them – it’s normal! They will grow to adjust to their surroundings, and your bond will develop. Just try and remain calm, spend a lot of your time doing things to relax, and read up on lots of baby books to help you out!
After the baby years, you have the toddler years, which are quite exciting as a parent. Your child is no longer a baby, but not yet at the stage where they attend school. As such, they’re in an exploratory stage of their life. They learn loads of new things; how to walk, talk, run, and so on.
The main concerns here are that your child will like to explore. This is when they can slip out of your sight with ease, and completely put themselves in danger. One moment they’re watching TV, the next they’re trying to climb inside the oven! Their curiosity is your biggest problem here, and not a lot else.
As a parent, you really need to be on the ball during this stage of your child’s life. This is the stage where you must pay attention to what they’re doing and can’t let them drift from your sight. At the same time, you need to encourage this curiosity. It’s okay for them to be curious and explore; don’t stop them from doing so. Just make sure they don’t take things too far and put themselves in danger!
Following their toddler years, your child will become old enough to finally attend school full-time. This is a long period, from around the age of 5 to 11 – and a lot can happen. It’s their first taste of education, and they will develop all their key skills along the way.
There are two main concerns for parents throughout this stage; friendships and education. You want to ensure your child settles into their school and manages to make friends. Likewise, you want to make sure they develop their skills and progress well through the education system. This will set them up for the next stages of their life.
The best way to approach this stage is with a watchful eye. Don’t be one of those parents that constantly on your child’s back and helping them too much with their schoolwork. They need to do it themselves, with assistance from you. This ensures they’re actually learning and aren’t dependent on you to do their work. Likewise, always ask questions to your children. Ask them about school and get to know how they’re feeling. This will help you figure out if they’re settled and have friends, or unsettled and lonely.
Now, we approach the stage where parenthood gets really tough. From the age of 12 to around 15, your children will be in their early teenage years. A lot of stuff happens to them during this time, which can make them a real handful!
One word; puberty. This is the time where their bodies change, and so does the way they think and act. Expect to deal with moody children who will snap at you very quickly. Also, expect to deal with kids that start to care more about the opposite sex, so be prepared for their first boyfriend/girlfriend! Also, school life gets tougher, which will only add to their difficulty.
During this stage, you should think about giving your child some space at times. Let them have alone time to be by themselves, but don’t shut them out completely. Still, talk to them and try to keep up with their life. Again, make sure you’re on the ball when it comes to their education. Keep them on the right track, and ensure they do their homework on time and stay out of trouble!
As a parent, the late teenage years can be so hard to navigate. It’s difficult to figure out the best way to look after your kids during this stage of their life. When they’re 16/17, there are so many new developments in their life and things you have to think about. They’ll start driving soon, so you have to prepare yourself for helping them learn or comparing driving schools for them to get lessons from. It’s also a time in their life when they start experimenting with things like alcohol. No parent likes to think about this, but kids do start drinking at around 16/17 these days. Of course, your job is making sure this doesn’t happen. It’s hard because you’ll be seen as an annoying parent, and your kids will certainly get in a mood with you. But, a firm line is what’s needed here to ensure your children don’t do things that harm their health.
We’ve already touched upon one main concern; alcohol. But, you also have to worry about drugs and cigarettes too. Again, not something a parent likes thinking about, but you need to teach your children the dangers of all these things. Scare tactics won’t work, but providing cold hard facts will help. My parents were always quick to tell me of the dangers of smoking, drugs, and alcohol, so I was always very conscious of staying well away.
Other concerns include their education and their future. This is the age where they’ll be thinking about life after high school. What do they want to be when they’re older? As a parent, it’s your job to take on a big role here and help your kids figure out their career path.
Like I said, it’s tricky to figure out the best way to be a parent during this stage. But, for me, you need to take on an active role. Don’t just let your child do whatever they want, you should remain involved in their life at this point. Be there to give advice whenever they need it, but also remain quite firm at times. This is a stage where your kids will depend on you a lot, particularly because of driving lessons. So, it’s the perfect chance to strike a bond and build trust between you two again.
After that final stage comes adulthood, where you’ll take an inactive role as your kids become independent. Hopefully, this guide has given you a lot of info and tips, meaning you’re more prepared for what’s to come during parenthood!
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