Toddlermama2

One thing to consider as well – your friends who have young kids and seem more unhappy, may be experiencing the throes of the first few years, and may feel very differently later on. For me, the first 2-3 years felt very hard, but now it is truly such a delight and my life is so much more improved with kids.

“Everything is a phase” has definitely been the most helpful advice for me in every stage thus far, but it was much more helpful once I was through the early months with my first and actually saw proof that it was true. I think it also would have been helpful to hear how different every kid is, and therefore if your struggles feel unique – they are! I remember feeling lost with my first, as it turns out he is a very intense child who doesn’t value sleep. My second is super laid back and loves sleep, and once I had him I understood so much of the stories and advice that felt useless/mismatched with my first. Now I’ve learned what advice works with each type of child and that’s helped me give myself a lot more grace.