When my older son was an infant, I was repeatedly told that things would get much easier for me once I “made it through the first year.”
Having now made it through the infancy and toddlerhood of two kids, I can say with certainty that things did not, in fact, get any easier when my kids turned one. On the contrary, I found that things got tougher once my kids started doing more things independently. I also found that offers of support (babysitting, meals cooked, empathy), so plentiful during those infant years, practically dried up during the toddler years.
I wrote a piece for Motherly in which I highlight this issue and discuss how toddler moms can manage anxiety. It’s critical that moms allow themselves to feel anxiety and take active steps to effectively cope with it.
