The Great Parenting Myth

👶 Parenting Moments: “It’ll get easier!” (Sure, Jan.)

Before I had kids, I genuinely thought I'd magically "get it together."
You know, wake up one day organized, calm, and maybe even wearing matching socks.

Reality check:

• lol Finding shoes: Still a full-contact sport. Bonus points if you find two that match.

• Remembering birthdays: Entirely dependent on whether I checked my calendar within the last six minutes.

• Meal prepping: Some days, it's just handing someone a bag of Goldfish crackers and calling it a charcuterie board.

✨ Tiny Lesson: Managing the Myth of "It Gets Easier"

One thing I’ve had to accept lately is that parenting isn’t a game you win by “figuring it out.” You might nail a routine, solve a sleep problem, or finally find a breakfast everyone eats — and then the next day? Chaos. Again.

Just when you think you’ve cracked the code, the kid updates their operating system overnight.

Babies, especially, love this game. They’ll give you two beautiful nights of solid sleep, trick you into thinking the dark days are behind you… and then absolutely wreck you with a wake-up-every-two-hours kind of night.

🛠️  Whats Actually Working for Us Right Now 

Let’s be clear: we’re not experts, just exhausted innovators. But here are a few changes that have actually helped lately, especially as our eldest barrels into a new season of independence (and, let’s be honest, Olympic-level demand avoidance):

• We cut the tablet. Not just “limited screen time,” like actually cut it. And while the transition was bumpy (withdrawals are real), the constant battles over turning it off? Gone. Fewer meltdowns. More play. It’s wild.

• Chore chart with buy-in. We reworked his chore chart to be something he helped create. It’s not just “you have to do this”—it’s “here’s how you contribute to our team.” Framed like that, it’s landing better.

• Later bedtime, more autonomy. We shifted bedtime slightly later to respect his growing need for independence. He gets a longer wind-down period with options: reading, drawing, listening to music. It gives him choice and structure—without the nightly drama.

Are we suddenly a perfectly functioning household? No. But are things smoother? Yep. And for now, that feels like a win. (Except for the baby, who remains firmly committed to chaos.)

Talk soon,
Tara
CEO of Chaos & Co