My Top Tips to Tackle Parenthood: How to Take Parenthood in Stride

“If you want to find out if you have the patience of a saint, have kids. You will quickly find out that you don’t.” –J.L. Lopez

I came up with the thought above last year during some obviously glorious day when I was realizing the true joys of being a parent. Let’s be honest: As much as you may love your children and being a parent, there are certain days that can test your patience.

Parenting is one of the most important and responsibility-laden roles that you can have in life, yet we receive basically no training, education, or preparation prior to taking on the role. Here are some thoughts and tips that I have learned throughout the years on how to take parenting in stride:

• Loosen Up—This is a tough one for me, as I can be rather uptight, but with kids, it is good to remember that things will not always go as hoped or planned. Having flexibility will ultimately save yourself some sanity.
• Your Kids are not You—If I can say so myself, I was a pretty well-behaved, respectful, and neat child (ask people who knew me—I’m not lying!). Often I am tempted to think that I set the standard for how my kids should be. However, I have realized that I was the exception and not the rule, so there is no need to make things more difficult by trying to make my kids into who I was.
• Give a Little at a Time—From the time that your kids are born, you should be releasing them a little at a time. Even during babyhood, you child is slowly gaining independence, and you should be encouraging them in that. Providing a little bit at a time of independence during childhood will help to ensure that your child grows up to be a responsible, mature, and well-adjusted adult.
• Your Kids are not for You—You should not have kids to prove what a fantastic parent that you are, what great kid fashion sense that you have, nor to establish a reincarnated version of yourself so that you can live vicariously through them. You are simply the caretaker until they are old enough to take care of themselves. It’s not about you—it’s about them.
• Expect and Prepare for the Unexpected—Messes and kids are pretty synonymous. Even when they get older, they will make messes. When they are babies and toddlers, make sure to keep plenty of extra diapers, baby wipes, and cleaning wipes in the house, in your diaper bag, and in your car. Once they get older, they can start helping you to clean when messes do occur, so keep some cleaning wipes, paper towels, and cleaning spray available for them to lend a hand with.
• Find a Support System—Parenting can be tough, so it is helpful to establish a support system of others who can offer you advice, tips, a good laugh, and reassurance. One such support tool is the Huggies Latino Facebook Page. When you ‘Like’ their page, you can share tips and stories with other Huggies parents and to participate in a contest to win a fully stocked Huggies diaper bag.

Huggies is introducing new and improved products designed to withstand the real life challenges of parenting: Huggies Snug & Dry Diapers and Huggies Wipes. They are made to provide less mess and less stress when messes do inevitably occur.

To make sure that these new products really do match up to the demands of real life, Huggies has collaborated with parents Poncho de Anda and Lina Amashta to put Huggies to the Real Life test. Check out this webisode video to see how Huggies measures up to a real family:

The life of a parent is filled with its share of struggles, messes, and stresses. But with a little patience, humor, and the right tools, you can navigate the maze of parenthood without being worse for the wear (well, not too much, anyways).