My god, being a parent is so fucking exhausting !!

[exhausta]

Christmas holiday you say ?What is a holiday when you're a parent ??

It's so bloody exhausting.

When they're at school, you have to get up at the crack of dawn, make sure they're ready and get them to school and yourself to work.

In your hard earned holiday, they wake you up at the crack of dawn anyway, then you spend all day cleaning up after them and cooking.

It's exhausting even trying to keep up with it all.

There's just never a break !

Mine are 5 next month and 2 and a half.

Tomorrow we are hosting family whilst also needing to manage the kids while prepping for guests etc.

Can EVERYONE relate ?

The kids are also just bored and frustrated.

Yes!
exhausting but try and get them outside as early as possible for as long as possible. I’m not joking.

also Food …as easy as possible, zero guilt if it could be healthier

also Rope in the grands as much as possible, without shame.

you can do this!

3 and 1 yo here. They are absolutely gorgeous, obviously, but they have been taking turns to be ill for what feels like weeks and neither is sleeping as a result. I am dropping all the balls at work and at home and I STILL HAVEN’T WRAPPED ANYTHING AAAARGH!!! I just need someone to come and sit with them for a couple of hours in the day but there is nobody. So… Presents in carrier bags this year?! 😂

Mate mine are 2 & 3. It’s physically draining. No clue wtf we’re doing this holiday, I just want them back at nursery🤣

Why are you hosting? If it’s so stressful maybe consider Christmas on your own with your chn and relax about food prep.

Defo agree with getting them out. Think what they do at school. Break in the morning, lunch and afternoon.

I have a 2 year old and a 6 month old and it’s utterly exhausting. I feel like i’m drowning with far too many jobs to feel festive at all and I have a 5 hour car journey to visit family for new years that fills me with dread. Roll on normality in January!

I treated my toddler like a puppy too, no matter the weather we went to the park and ran around for at least an hour. Often the only idiot parent there on a drizzly, grey December day but it burned off a lot of energy. And he napped every day until he turned 4.

Mine are 4 and 1 and both me and DH are absolutely exhausted. Hard to feel festive sometimes!

So true! Just had a stressful day with my teen - I'm exhausted!

Agreed. Christmas with young chn is the best of times. The magic for them is wonderful and you get to help create that and relive your own childhood through them.

I never get the idea that teens are hard. I have a 3 year old who is adorable but still in the terrible 2s and strangers keeps saying 'oh, wait until shes a teen then it will really be hard, teens are a nightmare'. My 16 year old is no bother at all (despite being a typical lazy, eye rolling, wont wash without being told, lie in bed all day teen boy).

I'm sure some can be (especially if they fall in a wrong crowd etc...) but the stereotypical hides in the bedroom and keeps to themself is hardly emotionally difficult.

OP I have a 6 and 3 year old and they could drive a saint to swear and my house is a bombsite... will be worth it on Christmas day though when they see the magic.

Well, I imagine it varies from teen to teen. But if they hide in their bedroom and you are worried that have no friends, are lonely, not doing well socially, and you can't solve it, then that is very emotionally difficult for example.

This makes me feel sad 😩

Yeah...teens sleep in so you spend term time trying to turf them out of bed at the crack of dawn...and they (ok just one of mine is)are bloody nocturnal and keep you awake til the early hours...

They go out alone... scaring the shit out of you...bit better now he is doing boxing but at least with toddlers you know where they are.

And when they are little they do what they’re told and go where you go.

Its hell out here.

Im at the end of 14 months of mat leave and MY GOD I can't wait to go back to work. Ive a 5 year old and a 1 year old and everyday is like going into battle.

He's your brother not your child, so you don't have the mental load. You can't imagine what you haven't experienced I guess.

Sorry just realised he's your kid not brother!!

It is exhausting op you have my sympathies. I have a 6 year old, a toddler and a fucking greyhound. All 3 need exercising daily! I walk briskly for 2-4 hours every day on broken sleep and am up early almost every morning. Could not do it without coffee!

Ah yes, the sweet point of illness...not too ill to worry too much, but not at the really grumpy stage when they are coming down with it or recovering.

My Christmas holiday turned into 3 weeks as DD2(4yo) is just coming to the end of chicken pox so no preschool for her. 🫠 She’s been cooped up for a week and the pair of us have been going stir crazy.

Nothing to add here except to say, yes to all of this! I’m so fucking tired!

Hear you OP.

My DD (2) has come down with a high fever, obviously we've now caught it too, and decided today we need to cancel Christmas. Same thing happened last year (to the letter) so this is our second year with no Christmas.

In addition, this year my DD had her four worst illnesses over our two holiday weeks (meaning we had to cancel our abroad holiday), her birthday, and now Christmas.

Appreciate there are worse things happening in the world but wow, desperate for just a couple of downtime days with no poorliness. I'm spent!

My 2.5 year old must be broken 😂