"I pretend to miss my kids more than I do when I'm away."
Being a parent is a mad old job and it's one that we're meant to be brilliant at right way, with no training. Let's face it, there's also a lot of judgement and curtain twitching in parenting land which might explain why, when things aren't exactly going swimgingly, we rarely admit it to the world. We're also, it seems, not allowed to admit when we're not enjoying ourselves.
It's a very tough job alright. Thank God the pay's so good! Oh no, wait...
Our HerFamily community are nothing if not honest. We hit you guys up, once again, to get you to spill your parenting confessions; things you've been too afraid to say out loud that are actually way more normal than you think. Here's what you had to say...
There was plenty of partner trickery going on and to be honest, I'm pretty impressed with the results:
"My husband sleeps like the dead so I pretend the kids were up all night so I get a lie in."
"I pretend to be asleep so my husband will get up to the kids."
Sneaky? ...Or just clever? We suspect he's played this hand a couple of times himself.
You're a crafty lot - you know all the tricks for getting a minute to yourselves.
"Sometimes when my children call me I don't answer because I'm hiding."
"I can see my kids from the landing but they can't see me, so I know they're safe when I hide there reading."
It might be easier to ask for a show of hands of who HASN'T let their child fall, or dropped something on them. (A full glass of red wine on a breastfeeding here. Oops)
"Son banged his head off the bath, never told his Dad. Brought him to the doc and he's fine."
"Dropped nail polish in my daughter's hair. Got it cut that day. Nobody knows that."
"Let my kid fall out of a Bumbo chair at 7-months on the couch. He's 4 now and seems fine."
A common theme amongst the comments we received was mothers admitting that actually, they don't always want to be with their children 24/7.
"I love my kids but I love going to work. I'm a part time Mammy."
"The days when my kids are in crèche are my favourite days of the week."
"I pretend to miss my kids more than I do when I'm away."
I think it's safe to say that, as a community, we'd make shockingly bad dentists. This is just a sample of the crimes against toddler teeth admitted to yesterday:
"My child's teacher said he told his whole class he never brushes his teeth."
"I always forget to brush the toddler's teeth."
One very honest reader describes a moment I think many will relate to. Tiredness, hormonal chaos and overwhelm can take your mind to strange places when you're a new parent.
"I once wanted to put my baby in a wheelie bin in layby."
I myself recall a moment not so long ago, where things got too much and I simply walked straight out of my house and closed the door behind me. Of course, I got as far as the driveway, took some deep breaths and walked back inside. But for those few seconds, I just could NOT. Hopefully these are fleeting thoughts that disappear as soon as they arrive, but admitting how you feel is so important as is asking for help if you need to.
And finally, baby gender secrets!
"Never told husband I knew we were having a girl. He didn't want us to find out."
"Found out the gender of my 2nd baby at check up scan but haven't told anyone."
I don't know about you, but I feel way more normal after reading all of those.
Thanks to everyone who confessed their parenting secrets to us. We're all just trying our best.
