I did an opinion poll on a Parenting Group I am a part of, to see what the main struggles were in parenting. I offered a few suggestions to get started, but I was surprised by the engagement and the willingness of other parents to open up about what they struggle with!

44% said “Sleep Deprivation” was the primary struggle. 214 parents chose this as their biggest issue.

In second place came “Sensory Overload”, with 17% giving this as their biggest struggle. That was 97 people.

In third place was “Your own mental health” with 12% siting this as the toughest part. 71 people.

Here are the rest of the responses given:

• Baby’s endless crying
• Baby’s health issues
• Loneliness
• Not knowing what to do
• Interfering relatives / friends
• Breastfeeding
• Not having time to yourself
• Breaking up sibling squabbles
• Teenage years
• The point of no return tantrums
• The days it feels overwhelming to be in control of them and all you want to do is drink a hot cup of tea and not be touched for 10 minutes
• Lack of help
• Fitting everything into the day
• The mental load
• Financial struggle
• Physical demand – velcro baby, being touched out
• Navigating the needs of children when new sibling has arrived

I did this poll not only to hear what the struggles really are, as I only know what mine are, but to see if people wanted to talk about it or not. And it’s very clear that many many parents do want to have somewhere to share what they’re going through.

This list was compiled over less than 24 hours from a single Facebook post. Appx 500 engagements with the question.

People want connection, solidarity, validation, understanding. People want to know they’re not alone!

I’m not sure how yet, but I would really love to do something that helps this situation somehow. If anyone has any thoughts, please let me know!