You're not even holding your own child yet, but parenting expectations already sit heavy in your chest. Like stones. How you'll be as a parent: patient when chaos explodes, present when exhaustion screams, organized when everything crumbles. You picture yourself reading peacefully while your child drifts off. You see calm supermarket trips, your child content in the cart. You imagine dancing effortlessly between career and family.
But reality hits different, doesn't it? Your shoulders tense with stress. Your jaw clenches. Like so many parents discover, your own expectations crash against real life.
When Unrealistic Expectations Clash with How Children Develop
Picture yourself - successful manager, career warrior for years. "I thought I could just bulldoze through as before," you whisper, voice cracking. "But my highly sensitive child? They shatter differently. After every outing, every social interaction, they need days - DAYS - to piece themselves back together. While other children bounce back quickly, my dream of weekend adventures crumbles. Stone by stone. Day by day."
Your chest tightens. The stress and disappointment burn deep.