I regret having kids. If you’re feeling guilty about anything, it doesn’t mean you’re a poor parent, and you’re not alone. It’s critical to accept your remorse and take actions to deal with it. You can avoid these sentiments from hurting your relationships with your children by confronting them head-on.
What Causes People to Regret Having Children?
If you’re a parent, you’re likely to have mixed feelings about having children. People may regret having children for a variety of reasons, as each person is unique. Parents may wish they had the same amount of time, money, or opportunity before starting a family.
They may be concerned about how having children would affect their personal lives, bodies, marriages, and other relationships.
A study of Reddit users tried to discover what parents resented the most about having children. The findings revealed that many people had regrets about becoming parents, including:
- Timing: Do you wish you had children sooner or later in life? Is Regret Worth It?
- Number: Do you wish you had more or less kids?
- Sacrifice: Having to give up some things due to motherhood, such as time, money, employment, or educational chances.
- Partner: You’re remorseful about who you selected as your child’s parent.
- External world: Regret about having children as a result of world events such as war or political strife.
I regret having kids: 4 Things to Think About
You are not alone if you have regrets about having children. You may take measures to understand and manage these emotions. Even if it is tough at times, dealing with your regret can help you have a more pleasant parenting experience.
If you regret having children, consider the following steps:
1. Recognize and Accept Your Emotions
Acknowledging your sentiments about becoming a parent is a crucial first step. Negative feelings might creep up on us without us even noticing it. Irritability, rage, sleeping troubles, and aches and pains are all symptoms of these sentiments.
Take some time alone to focus on how you genuinely feel about becoming a parent to help you come in touch with what you’re going through. This can be accomplished through silent contemplation or journaling.
Pose the following questions to yourself:
- What is it about becoming a parent that I enjoy?
- What exactly do I despise?
- And What has changed in my life since I became a mother?
- What do I miss about my life before I had children?
Take some time to notice what comes up after you’ve asked yourself these questions. You may experience pleasant feelings such as joy and thankfulness, as well as negative emotions such as regret, disappointment, and despair. Allow yourself to experience all you’re feeling.
2. I regret having kids, Don’t pass judgement on yourself
Avoid criticising yourself for your sentiments now that you’ve become aware of them.
You may have thoughts like “you shouldn’t feel this way” or “regretting motherhood makes me a horrible person.” Keep in mind that these ideas are unsupported by evidence. Parenthood is no exception to the rule that every experience in life has advantages and disadvantages. Allow yourself to experience these emotions.
You may take measures to address your emotions now that you’re aware of how you’re feeling and allowing yourself to experience them.
3. Focus on resolving the problem
Problem-solving is an effective method for addressing the source of unpleasant emotions. When it comes to dealing with regret, problem-solving may help you examine what is causing you to feel this way and, if feasible, make adjustments.
Take a moment to consider your regrets about having children:
- Do you wish you had more time or money to spend on yourself?
- Or how it has affected your marriage or other relationships?
- Or do you resent being a parent because you don’t think you’re up to the task?
Ask yourself, “What can I do about it?” once you’ve figured out what’s producing your unpleasant sentiments. You can enrol in a parenting class if you believe you lack the necessary abilities. If you wish you had more time for yourself, consider adjusting your schedule or delegating certain duties to free up some time.
Concentrate on the areas of your circumstance over which you have control and make changes to assist you handle the bad parts of parenting.
4. Make a list of the advantages and rewards.
Parenting offers both advantages and disadvantages. It’s easy to ignore the great parts of parenting while you’re going through a difficult moment.
Make a list of the perks and rewards of having children to help you stay in touch with these things. Specific recollections, milestones, and daily happenings can all be included on this list. A warm embrace, witnessing your youngster acquire a new skill, or a great day at the park are all possibilities.
Keep this list on hand and refer to it frequently, especially on days when you’re feeling particularly down.
Read also: How many children is the perfect number?
Read also: Is it lonely being an only child?
