Episode 11: The Stuff About Parenting Nobody Says Out Loud We all love our kids AND can we admit that we don’t love every single part of parenting? In this episode of Finding Myself While Raising Them, I’m saying some of the things parents think all the time but don’t always feel comfortable admitting. Like sometimes I don’t want to play. Sometimes bedtime really is my favorite part of the day. Sometimes I miss the freedom of my old life. And yes… sometimes other people’s kids annoy me. There I said it! We’re talking about the funny, frustrating, lonely, complicated, and incredibly normal parts of parenting that don’t always make it onto social media. In this episode: Why being a good parent doesn’t mean constantly entertaining your kids Why it’s completely possible to love your kids AND count down to bedtime Missing parts of your old life without wanting that life back Feeling lonely even when you have a village Why having kids doesn’t automatically make you love all kids The parenting choices we swore we’d never make… until we actually had children How parenting has humbled me Losing pieces of your identity and figuring out who you are now Why complaining about parenting doesn’t make you any less grateful for it Parenting can be beautiful and exhausting. Fulfilling and monotonous. Hilarious and completely overwhelming. Two things can be true at the same time. You can need a break from your kids and miss them when they’re gone. You can miss who you used to be and love who you’re becoming. You can admit that parenting is really freaking hard and still choose this life over and over again. 🎙️ Now I want to hear from you: What’s something about parenting YOU think but rarely say out loud? Send it my way because I have a feeling we’re going to need a Part Two. Finding Myself While Raising Them Hosted by Dr. Michelle Lowry