There are many words to describe parenting.

Joyful, rewarding, exciting, and meaningful are just a few of the words that immediately come to mind. As a parent, you can probably identify with these words yourself.

However, there is another word that you can probably associate with parenting, and it’s this one:

Stressful!

Yes, while parenting is a most wonderful experience, there are times when stress threatens to overwhelm our lives.

In this article, I’m going to take a look at some of the parenting stresses that many of you will be familiar with. I’m also going to suggest a few stress-busters too, so we hope they are useful to you.

Parenting Stress #1: Trying to keep a clean house

Trying to work out where to start with this one is like trying to work out where to start with the housework!

Thanks to the children in our lives, our home is never going to be immaculately clean. And to be honest, that is something many of us have to get used to. If we were to stress out over every drink spill or emptied toy box, we would burn ourselves out very quickly.

So, our first piece of advice is this: Don’t freak out!!

Still, to make your life easier, you might want to take some simple steps within your home.

For starters, ensure you have plenty of storage space. The more you have, the less toy clutter there will be around your home, and there will be less of your children’s laundry scattered around your house too. So, focus on the areas where your children are likely to create a mess and then purchase something to suit your decor. Check out these storage ideas for your children’s bedroom, for example.

Then consider food and drink spills. They can happen a lot, especially when our children are young and uncoordinated. As frustrating as they can be, you can save yourself a lot of trouble by placing plastic mats around your children’s eating areas, as any mess can then be restricted to something that is easily washable. You might also place rules on where your children drink too, so if you don’t want them to spill drinks on your sofa, for example, don’t let them get near.

Of course, spills can still happen, despite your best efforts. Thankfully, there are lots of carpet cleaners on the market, so always have something on standby, just in case disaster strikes. There are lots of natural cleaning ideas online too, so it’s worth educating yourself in the event that you do run out of carpet cleaner. And should you come across a stain that you can’t deal with yourself, cleaning services such as Chem-Dry are worth having on speed dial for a dire situation.

And finally, on this point, don’t assume you have to do all of the housework yourself. Especially where your children’s toys are concerned, get them into the tidying-up habit. With rules such as ‘put it back where you found it’ and ‘put one thing away before getting out another,’ you might not have to deal with a mass of toy clutter on a daily basis. Your kids might kick up a fuss, of course, but this is where these fun cleaning tips might come in handy. By turning any chores into a game, you should have no trouble getting your kids to tidy up after themselves.

Parenting Stress #2: Bedtime!

Not only is it hard enough trying to get your children into bed, but it’s also hard enough to keep them there once lights have been turned out. Your hopes for rest and downtime will quickly disappear once you hear the pitter-patter of their tiny feet on the stairs, and your thoughts might turn to that other common stress, the school run, when you realise your children are never going to get to sleep at a decent time.

Just what are you supposed to do? Other than getting annoyed with your children for not doing as they are told, there are other things you can try.

Our first suggestion is this: Tire your children out! If you can engage your children in a physical activity an hour or so before bedtime, the sleepier they should later feel. So, you might play one of these energy-busting games with them before lights out, or if there is still light outside, you might take them on a walk with the family dog to help them burn off any excess energy.

Be mindful of what your children are eating and drinking too. If you give them anything overloaded with sugar and e-numbers before bedtime, then they are going to be as high as a kite! These healthy bedtime snacks have sleep-inducing properties, so consider introducing them into your child’s nighttime routine.

And talking of routine, this is key for getting your children into bed. When they get into the habit of doing certain things before lights out, the better chance you have of settling them down for the night. So, stick to tried and tested things, such as getting them into the bath and into their PJ’s before they get into bed. If you can stick to a routine, your children will soon accept this as commonplace, and should eventually become less resistant to going to bed.

Find ways of making bedtime fun too. Check out these bedtime activities and pick out any that are age-appropriate for your children. Your children will then start to look forward to going to bed instead of kicking up a fuss about the prospect, and should they fall asleep soon after, you will then have opportunities for some me-time.

For further tips, here is an age-by-age guide to help you overcome those bedtime battles.

Parenting Stress #3: Keeping the kids entertained on a rainy day

Keeping our children entertained is hard enough at the best of times, but it’s especially difficult on those rainy days when they are cooped up inside for hours. Of course, you could stick them in front of the TV or give them free rein of the Wifi in your house, but there are better ways to manage your children’s boredom.

So, you might have some fun in the kitchen. Being sure to stick to health and safety rules, you might consider some of these fun craft activities that are better done on your kitchen table rather than anywhere near your living room carpets. Or you might bake a cake together, make a pizza, or have some fun making creations out of fruit and vegetables. Heck, your kids might actually start to eat healthier if you follow that last point, even if they are literally spending time playing with their food before mealtime!

Or how about some role play? Kids love to dress up and create imaginary worlds, so pick up some costumes at the charity shop or make use of what you have, and then encourage some imaginative play at home. From superhero adventures to princess weddings, help your children create scenarios based on the things you know they will enjoy. Here are role-play ideas for preschoolers.

And how about an afternoon of board games? Too many children are transfixed to screen time these days, so this traditional activity often gets neglected. Here are some modern examples, but it’s still worth hunting down favourites such as Ludo, Monopoly, and Snakes and Ladders when you’re out shopping.

So, don’t fear those words ‘I’m bored’ when you’re next confronted with a rainy day. Don’t stress out over your children getting up to something they shouldn’t when they try to entertain themselves. Consider these ideas, and enjoy the bonding time that you have with your little ones.