Parenthood
Parents Reveal Things They Learned Through Parenthood
Many parents say they had no idea what they were in for.
D.G. Sciortino
08.08.18

People often praise working parents for their ability to juggle work and parenthood but a recent survey suggests that some parents find it harder to be a stay-at-home parent than a working parent.

The study actually makes parenthood look pretty bleak but most parents would likely tell you that it’s not.

The study, which was commissioned by AVEENO Baby, polled 1,500 UK parents and delved into false expectations parents had before their children were born and the new things they’ve learned after their kids were born.

Flickr/Vladimir Pustovit
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Flickr/Vladimir Pustovit

“Becoming a parent is an amazing experience, but we understand that entering this new chapter of life can also bring with it a great deal of stress and worry. So we wanted to discover more about what new parents experience in the first few years, what they wish they had known and how best we can support them,” AVEENO Baby skin expert Rebecca Bennett said. “We want to give new parents the confidence to feel they are making the right choices for their baby’s skin, so they feel more in control of this element of their new path of discovery.”

Flickr/Josh Bancroft
Source:
Flickr/Josh Bancroft

Only 31 percent of parents said that staying home with a baby is harder than working in the office.

A little less half of all parents were able to agree on some things.

About 43 percent of parents likened getting the kids ready and out of the house to a “military operation.”

Killing The Breeze
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Killing The Breeze

Between 42 and 40 percent of parents said that parenthood allowed them to feel unconditional love for the first time, that they used baby wipes for things besides wiping butts, and that being a parent means you’re tired all the time.

But not all parents agreed about what it means to be a parent.

Between 20 and 10 percent reported that it’s impossible to not talk in a baby voice, that they call mom before the doctor, that their back always hurts, that they can get away with only showered three days a week, and that 90 percent of their social media posts are pictures of their kids.

Alaskan Quality
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Alaskan Quality

Here are the full results of the poll:

1. Leaving the house becomes a military operation: 43 percent

2. You feel complete, unconditional love for the first time: 42 percent

3. Baby wipes are not just for baby’s bums: 41 percent

4. You will always be tired: 40 percent

5. Going to the bathroom in peace will be a thing of the past: 38 percent

6. You CAN function on four hours sleep: 37 percent

7. Quiet isn’t always good sign: 36 percent

8. Never forget the changing bag: 35 percent

9. You will never tire of staring at your baby: 35 percent

10. You will eat most of your meals with one hand: 33 percent

11. Your child’s skin is the best smell ever: 32 percent

12. Your carpets and sofas will have permanent stains: 31 percent

13. Staying at home with a baby IS harder than being in the office: 31 percent

14. Worrying will become your new hobby: 28 percent

15. You care about someone else’s bodily functions: 27 percent

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16. You know who your real friends are: 27 percent

17. You’ll know how much everything costs: 25 percent

18. Your baby will have better cosmetics and clothes than you do: 23 percent

19. Nothing compares to the pain of standing on Lego with bare feet: 22 percent

20. Everything will get covered in sick: 22 percent

21. You will turn into your mother/father: 22 percent

22. You will never finish a cup of tea/coffee again: 21 percent

23. You end up Googling EVERYTHING: 21 percent

24. You will regularly be embarrassed in public: 20 percent

25. It’s impossible not to put on a ‘baby’ voice: 20 percent

26. Some spills are worse than others: 19 percent

27. You have to rely on catch-up TV: 19 percent

28. You ring your mum before a doctor: 18 percent

29. Your back will always hurt: 17 percent

30. You can get by with showering three days: 17 percent

31. A strong coffee will get you through most things: 15 percent

32. Single friends will stop inviting you to dinner parties: 14 percent

33. Sometimes a glass of wine is the only answer: 13 percent

34. Hangovers get worse: 12 percent

35. Your Instagram feed will be 90 percent pictures of your child: 10 percent

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