r/regretfulparents • u/Creative-Move-6026 Parent • 21h ago
Venting - No Advice It gets better
it gets better when they’re mobile
it gets better when they sleep through the night
it gets better when they’re done with bottles
it gets better when they’re can talk/communicate
it gets better when theyre potty trained
it gets better when they’re older so you don’t have to lug a stroller and a diaper bag everywhere
it gets better when they start school (LOL)
it gets better when they’re not in a car seat anymore and can buckle themselves in and out
it gets better when they’re socially independent and you don’t have to schedule play dates anymore
It gets better when they have their drivers license so you stop being a chauffeur
it gets better when they can prepare their own meals so you’re not a personal chef
it gets better when they’re older and wash their own clothes/ do chores
it gets better when the move out and have their own life
etc etc etc the goal post is ALWAYS moving further down the road .
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LMAO i remember being a naive new mom and believing more experienced parents when they said “it gets better” i then realized it never got “better” the challenges changed out for different one - usually something more complex and emotionally draining .
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u/huehuehuehuehuuuu 17h ago
Can get worse. Friend sent his son to uni, kid came back with multiple sexual assault charges. Adult children adult problems.
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u/Crazy_Counter_9263 9h ago
Disown him at that point and enjoy whatever life is left
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u/huehuehuehuehuuuu 9h ago
His wife divorced him over it. One of the victims’ father and boyfriend showed up at his house “to have a word with him” and got into a physical confrontation.
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u/busysquirrel4205 19h ago
Yeah when my kid was a baby i told myself these things because i truely did believe it 'It will get better once he starts solids and sleeps better". Now i no longer tell myself these things. i've been miserable for so long i think im used to the misery and feeling helpless/stuck/trapped. Why bother tell myself it will get better
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u/babygirl20252025 1h ago
Parce que « l’espoir fait vivre » les gens qui disent ça c’est une manière gentille de te faire sentir un peu mieux … courage
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u/just_nik Parent 12h ago
Oh, friend, this is spot on! I remember having this exact sudden realization when my kid turned like, 4 years old, and I realized that I had been waiting for "things to get better" since they were born. I was constantly waiting for the next milestone- 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, potty-trained, 3 years, 4 years.
It doesn't get better, it just changes.
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u/NoMansCat Parent 18h ago
It can get better depending on what matters for you.
I hated the toddler stage (the incessant crying, the running nose, the constant need for watching) so everything that happened after that was an improvement.
I had fairly independant kids that weren't in constant need of a parent.
My children found ways to keep themselves occupied, and I encouraged this spirit of independence and this love of autonomy as much as I could.
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u/AgreeableLight3997 Parent 19h ago
Yup, and then add extra hard mode “It never gets better” when it’s special needs parenting.