Better World

What would be in your parenting survival kit? Experienced parents weigh in

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ParentsTogether recently asked our community of parents, “If you could create a ‘parenting survival kit,’ what essential items would be in it?” And their answers revealed a lot about the challenges of parenting today.

Here are just some of the responses from real parents around the country:

  • “Daycare assistance! Will be paying more than two mortgages when I return to work”
  • “A village”
  • “Grandparents”
  • “A nanny!”
  • “A robot/magic wand to do the chores so that parents could just be present in the moment with their child.”
  • “A caregiver for the mother for the first couple weeks.”
  • “A magic eight ball that only tells you you’re doing a good job”
  • “What you really DO need you can’t buy, for me (if was available) would be an unlimited supply of healthy (not caffeine laden) energy juice.”
  • “Inner child love, empathy and nervous system regulation”
  • “A therapist”
  • “a mother’s helper? a bonus to afford said mother’s helper?”
  • “Other people or a boatload of money.”

These parents’ astute comments show that parents overwhelmingly believe in their own parenting abilities, in theory — but if they had much more support, their parenting values and goals would feel more realistic. Parents may not need more stuff, but they could really use help keeping their own buckets filled so that they’re able to more effectively care for their kids.

Parenting doesn’t have to feel so unrealistic and impossible. You shouldn’t need to wish for a magical solution. If, like most parents, you’re struggling to raise a family, that’s not a personal failure — it’s actually a policy problem.

Practical large-scale solutions like paid parental leave, affordable childcare, and maternal health support would go a long way toward giving parents what they need, both physically and emotionally, to do the hardest job in the world.

Of course we don’t have all the answers. But we do offer tips that can make raising a family easier, plus actions you can take to demand the support families need — follow us on Instagram to stay on top of the latest!

Joanna Eng is a staff writer and digital content specialist at ParentsTogether. She lives with her wife and two kids in New York, where she loves to hike, try new foods, and check out way too many books from the library.