Parenting is no easy feat. I’ve said this before, and I will say it again, that to be a parent is really a full-time job that requires a ton of patience and a lot of love and kindness. There will be days where you’re hard on yourself as a mother or father, and you feel like you’re failing because you don’t know why your child spent so much time crying on a particular day; or, you can’t wrap your head around why he/she isn’t eating right. You will have a bad day when your baby is having one, and there will be times when you just want some me-time. These feelings are all justifiable and nowhere do they mean that you’re not a good parent, or that you don’t love your son or daughter.

The key to being a happy parent is taking everything as it comes and as a learning experience. Even on the bad days, embrace the fact that you were able to get through your kid’s crying episode, and through the screaming and wailing. Understand that you got a chance to unwind while your little one was sleeping and that these moments with your newborn, toddler or even a young child are precious and will probably not come back again — they grow like weeds!