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Last Updated on May 11, 2018

Ok, right now I just don’t like my child. It’s been a really bad stretch and nothing seems to help. I feel like I am the worst mother in the world.   

A true confession from a very normal mother. Let’s be honest, we’ve all felt this way at different times.

Your one-year-old who still doesn’t sleep through the night may be the cause of your desperation this morning. You’ve read all those books on “sleep training” and your best friend’s child sleeps all through the night. But this one of yours doesn’t, and you feel like you are going to die of sleep deprivation. Perhaps it’s your 4-year-old who is demanding, whining, clingy, and fond of pitching fits when he doesn’t get his own way. Or your moody preteen.  You never know which “person” she will be when she walks in the door after school. Will she be in a good mood because the “right” girls asked her to eat lunch with them or in a funk because a certain boy did not speak to her in the hall? Will she burst in the door mad at the world and take it out on you or her sibling? Her mood swings are driving you crazy. She’s hard to like right now.

Our kids can cause us to feel frustrated, guilty, and a failure. What do we do with these emotions? What do we do with this child we don’t particularly like at this moment?

Several things will be helpful:

  • Take comfort in the fact that your emotions are normal. Of course we love our kids but the reality is that sometimes we just don’t like one of them. There is no perfect mother.  Any mother who is honest will identify with your feelings. Don’t listen to the accusation, If you were really a good mother you wouldn’t feel this way, or your child wouldn’t behave like this. This is a lie because it is a generalization. It is general condemnation which simply promotes a sense of false guilt. Valid guilt, on the other hand, arises when we do or say something specific for which we need to ask God’s forgiveness and then if appropriate, the offended person. God will always forgive us. (1 John 1:9) We need to receive His forgiveness and move forward asking for Him to help us “like” this child and to give us His wisdom to know how to help her.
  • Realize that kids go through stages. It may be your 4th grader with whom you are having a difficult time. But in several months it will likely be your 5-year-old or your teenager. One of the blessings of having several children is that you learn that the child you don’t especially  “like” will change. Different children have trouble with different seasons. It can be harder for a parent of an only child. They don’t have this perspective. Reassure them that they too are normal and this hard time will pass.
  • Spend time with your difficult child.  Make a point of taking the child out- away from home and siblings- for a special time with you. Do something the child likes. Ask him specific questions: “What’s your favorite food, pet, game, or sport? Who do you like to play with? What do you like most about summer?” Tell the child things you appreciate about him. Perhaps he’s sensitive, a helper, stubborn (which means he will stick to things!), etc. Ask God to show you specific character traits to affirm. I have found that when I have “one on one time” with a child I don’t especially like that God changes my heart. Often this child simply needs some “one on one time” with me.
  • Avoid comparing this child with a sibling. Each of our children is uniquely created. And each has weaknesses and strengths and different seasons of difficulty. So do we! One may drive you crazy with the terrible twos and threes and be easy in the elementary years. Another may throw temper tantrums in 5th grade and then become a great teenager.  It will only be discouraging and unfair to compare our kids. We have to remember that growth is uneven.
  • Pray for this child and for your attitude towards this child. Ask a friend to pray for both of you. Discuss your feelings with your husband. Often a child will go through a stage in which he will relate better to one parent than another. That’s normal. But you need to be agreed on discipline so he doesn’t try to divide you. Pray together as a couple. If you are a single parent, get a couple to talk with you about your relationship with this child and to pray for you. Ask the child’s teacher for any insights she may have. Coaches and other adults are also good resources. In some situations it may be helpful to get counseling.  Most often a difficult period will pass and you don’t want to make a huge issue out of the normal challenges of growth.
  •  Ask God what He has to teach you through this child. God has chosen our families. He has given us exactly the right children in the right birth order with the unique personalities not merely so that we can raise them but also in order that He might use them in our life to grow us up into the women He has created us to be.  He will use that strong willed child, that one we just don’t “get,” the one so much like us that we naturally clash, that one with disabilities. Every single child is a gift. God has not made a mistake. Our children are His precious tools in our life to help us become more dependent upon Him and to experience His power and love in deeper ways.

 

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19 Comments

  1. FYI: The link for the “Raising Kids with Character” is currently priced at $4.61.

    1. That is because Raising Kids with Character is available free THURSDAY April 26th for 24 hours. The book available today (April 25th) is the first link. 🙂

      1. Gotcha! I guess I need to pay more attention to the dates! 🙂

  2. Thank you so much for this! This is a definately an unspoken topic that I know many mothers struggle with!! Your words are so encouraging. I for one am grateful for seasons… 🙂

    1. Thanks so much for the comment. It’s so encouraging t hear from you!
      Blessings, Susan Yates

  3. Andrea Winbigler says:

    Thank you! I have to admit I feel like this at least once a day. I have to remember we are not who we seem to be in each moment and look at the big picture.

  4. This is so helpful! Thanks for being practical and wise, and for sharing your gifts with us. =)

  5. I hear the heart of what you’re saying, but could I be so bold as to offer another way to phrase this? I know I don’t like my child’s behavior, choices and actions at times, but I always like who they are as a soul and human being. While I hold my children responsible for the things they do, mistakes and poor choices do not define them. I don’t agree with much right now in this season of the toddler years, but that’s the phase they are going through as you say. My mother told me as a teenager she didn’t like me and It has stuck with me 20 years later. It’s not something you recover from when you hear it from the person whose supposed to support, encourage and love you unconditionally.

    1. Good words Lori. A parent should never tell their child they don’t like them but we can be honest with other girl friends about how we feel.I agree with you! You’ve given us another good way to express how we feel.

    2. I agree with Lori. Maybe it is just a point of view but I always felt: dislike the behavior, not the child. I understand being frustrated but we also have to learn to channel our feelings into a constructive direction. Am I frustrated when my child wakes up at 6:30 every morning, YES! Is it their fault? No. So why would I dislike my child? Am I frustrated with my nephew’s lack of impulse control? Yes. Do I dislike him? No, I know he is capable of generosity and helpfulness. Frustration is normal but we can also learn to redirect it, maybe problem-solve, and guilt does not help us find a solution. Guilt eats away at us and drains us. Turns out my nephew has ADHD, now on the right medications he is the sweet boy we know he can be and he is happier. Maybe if it is hard for me to get up at 6:30 with my toddler then I should go to bed sooner. Also many things are transitional and will pass eventually. Some are not. I am not perfect but I don’t expect myself or my child to be, I just do my best and lean on God’s grace. Trust in his plan.

      1. I appreciate your words Sara. Thanks for taking time to write. I think what is needed is honesty about our feelings but the reminder that feelings are always fluctating and feelings don’t dictate behavior.
        Blessings, Susan

  6. Joslyn Keathley says:

    Can I just say I needed this post? I mean, really. The “Mom Guilt” I have been going through is just so hard to muddle each day through. Life as it is is so overwhelming. But thank you. And thanks for tips! I plan to utilize them effective @ wake up time tomorrow! 🙂 Be blessed!

  7. I relate with this SO much that I did decide to be “anon”! Thank you for this honest post. I needed to hear this, specifically from such a godly woman as Mrs. Yates. I read “And then I had kids…’ YEARS ago, and still the idea of “seasons” is something I go back to almost daily to get through the rough spots–with all areas of life. This topic strikes a big chord with me, and I appreciate hearing it addresses from a Christian perspective. Blessings.

  8. Great article! Love it! I hope it’s ok that I have quoted you and linked this post to my blog. Thank you! Let’s get the word out there.. these things need to be discussed!