To find out more about the joy and challenges that parents have to endure, Bored Panda reached out to an expert in the field, Anisa Lewis. Anisa set up “Positive Parenting and Coaching” in order to help transform the lives of families by equipping parents, children, and carers with the practical strategies to overcome their individual family’s challenges.

The parenting expert explained that there’s no rule book for parenting, “therefore, there is no right or wrong way to parent.” In fact, what is right for one family won’t fit for another. “Parent guilt, usually brought on by comparing yourself to others or the idea in your head of how you ‘think’ parenting should be, needs to be stopped right now!”

But there are many widespread misconceptions about being a parent, like “that it is ‘easy’ and will come to you naturally,” Anisa said and explained: “parenting, just like anything that is important to us in life, has to be worked at and studied (for want of a better word).”

No matter your child’s age, as a caring and nurturing parent, you have to make sure that you give the best to your little one. Anisa urges parents to “shower your child with love, give them boundaries, routines, and laughter and you are already winning at parenting.”

However, it’s sometimes easier said than done. The parenting coach explained that the pressure on parents to “juggle parenthood, work, home life, and showing up for themselves” is tremendous. “We are asking parents to effectively do 2 or 3 full-time jobs, some of which they are not qualified to do,” she added.

In order to hold onto your own sanity, Anisa suggests “prioritizing each day what you can do to keep the important juggling balls up in the air and some, for the time being, may just need to sit quietly, laying in wait for a time when you can pick them up again.”

This is especially true in the times of worldwide pandemic, when the challenges parents face are greater than ever, like isolation, juggling, and monotony.

“We need people (yes, even the introverts) and when you are respecting the rules of your country and keeping your distance, this does not allow for the levels of physical touch that we need to feel connected to those around us.”