Being a parent is no piece of cake, is it?
Everyone has an opinion on how you can do things better, and they are happy to tell us.
Some advice might be worth listening to but other times, your gut instinct asks of you to do something else altogether.
What do we do at times like this?
Is it better to give in to societal pressure? Or should you go with your parental instinct?
The Dilemma
We all know that our society can be quite overbearing. There is always someone who knows better than us and is more than happy to tell us what we are doing wrong.
However, being a parent also means that we have a responsibility to our children. We need to do what is best for them, even if it goes against what society tells us.
For example, you might feel pressured to send your child to the best school in town. But if your parental instinct is telling you that your child would be better off homeschooling, then maybe you should listen to that.
It can be a tough decision to make, but you need to do what is best for your child.
And it cannot always be possible to know for sure which would give the best results for your kid.
That’s why this dilemma can be paralyzing.
Recommended reading: 7 Tips to Deal with People Who Doubt Your Parenting Skills
Recommended reading: 5 Reasons Why Parents Expect So Much From Their Children
How to find a balance?
It’s tricky to find a balance between what society expects of us (the societal pressure) and what our parental instinct is telling us. But it is important to try.
Here are some tips that might help:
– Talk to other parents and get their opinion. They might relate to what you are going through and offer some helpful advice.
– Do some research. If you are unsure about something, then look it up and see what the experts have to say.
– Trust your gut. You know your child better than anyone else. So if something doesn’t feel right, then maybe it isn’t.
After all, we want to make sure that we are doing what is best for our children. Not what feels good for us and not what others think is right.
Stand by your choice once you have made it.
Here’s the thing: Nobody can make the right choices all the time.
Everybody is playing a guessing game with parenting. We are all just doing our best and hoping for the best.
So if you have made a choice that you believe is best for your child, then stick by it. Don’t succumb to societal pressure. Don’t let anyone else tell you- you are doing it wrong.
The key is to accept the uncertainty of where your decision will lead. There is always a risk that things might not turn out the way you wanted them too. But that’s okay.
What matters is that you made the choice with the best intentions. And as long as you did that, then you can’t do any more than that.
Recommended reading: Don’t Let Society Tell You How To Live
Recommended reading: Best Parenting Advice I Have Ever Received
The bottom line
Trust your gut, do your research and talk to other parents.
That’s the best you can do.
Don’t beat yourself too much over it.
We are all just trying our best.
