I often speak with women who express sincere concern that they are in no way, shape, or form prepared to be a parent. Perhaps that describes you. Can I just say you’re probably right? Parenting is hard. I’ve been a parent for almost twenty-five years. I wish I could say it gets easier with time. I wish I could say it gets easier with each child. But the truth is that it often doesn’t. 

Just when you think you’ve figure this parenting thing out, your child throws you a curve ball and you feel like you’re just starting out all over again. Twenty-five years ago I wasn’t prepared to be a parent. And neither are you.

But here’s the good news. The most important aspect of parenting, the part you can never really prepare for, is also the most rewarding. 

That’s because in most cases parenting will change your life for the better. Most likely, parenting will change you for the better. Children are needy creatures and those who take on the role of parenting are brave souls. Anyone who tells you that you only need to do x, y, and z to be prepared to be a parent, have not done you a service. 

Do you need to do x, y, and z? Yes, of course! It is good to prepare a nursery, to take a parenting class or two, to tour a hospital. But what you cannot prepare for is a mystery you will only know with the passage of time. You might get a glimpse of it on the day your child graduates from kindergarten, or the day he or she cries on your shoulder with a broken heart. But the true impact, the true reward that comes from parenting takes a lifetime to comprehend.

So if you find yourself pregnant, wondering how in the world you could ever be prepared to be a parent, you’re not alone. Even those of us with many years of parenting wake up some mornings wondering the same thing. How can we parent another human being? 

But let me encourage you in this: the journey is worth every sleepless night, every sacrifice, every lost dream of your own. If you’re brave enough to take the journey you just might discover that what you were truly unprepared for is the person facing you in the mirror!

We stand with our clients making a pregnancy decision.  So make us your first call when you’re considering parenting – we can schedule an appointment for you to receive a free pregnancy test and a free ultrasound. You’ll also find a safe space to process your feelings and understand all your options. Make your FREE appointment today by clicking here.