Finding parenting really difficult atm

[justfuckingcreamcrackered]

I have a 6 YO daughter who has always been very chilled. Academic, loves dance, art, loves to follow rules, listens to me. I now have a just turned 2 YO son & although I love him fiercely, I’m really finding him hard, hard work. I feel drained. Everything is a battle, he can be rough, he doesn’t listen, at all. We went on a cruise for a week last week & everyone seemed shocked when I came home & said I was fucking knackered. It can’t be that much of a shock that holidaying with a toddler can be hard work, right? There was no day nursery & I wasn’t bothered about going anywhere in the evening so he stayed with us. He’s a very busy little lad & doesn’t stay still. I have 4 brothers & I know boys are a different level. But I feel deflated an awful lot. Does it get easier. Honestly does it.

as a side note, they were both seriously ill babies & were in ICU so I never take anything for granted & I thank my lucky stars he is here to drive me up the wall, but I’m also human & feel as I feel.

I got as far as reading you'd taken your two year old on a cruise and snorted to myself, thinking that that sounded like hell. So I'm totally with you that that is not going to be a holiday that you come back refreshed from! Two year olds are hard work, they have all of the emotions and none of the self control. I have a two year old and a four year old (both just had their birthdays) and the only way we can have a semi relaxing holiday is to bring family and go to centre park type places. My boy is the four year old and honestly he's just delightful now, despite a very hard period when he was about 2.5 of reacting to any perceived threat or affront by hitting and pushing. So it does get easier. And he's a very high energy boy, was riding without stabilisers at just turned three and swimming independently at 3.5 so all about the physical movement 🥴

Who is “everyone” who was surprised? People with two young children? Parenting is hard hard work and is the hardest thing I have ever done. Mine are now late teens. It is ok to be overwhelmed and drained and be finding it hard and that doesn’t make you a crap parent or mean you don’t love your kids. Acknowledge how hard it is and surround yourself with people who support you rather than drain you and try to refill your tank when and where you can.

Fair enough

But really, a cruise with a two year old??? No way were you gonna relax whatsoever

We did a Disney cruise when ours were similar ages, although dc2 had just turned 3 so was able to go into the clubs! Even at age 2 she would have loved it though, there was loads to entertain the dcs so cruises can be a brilliant holiday for children if it is targeted at families. It will get easier once the dcs can go into some kind of club or entertainment on holidays.

I'm always happy when the dcs and I come back from holidays a bit exhausted, it means we've had a good time (and all my holidays pre-dcs involved hours of walking and sightseeing so I never saw them as a chance to relax).