73 Parents Who Thought Outside The Box And Shared Their Genius Discoveries With Others (New Pics)

Now, it goes without saying that parenting is definitely one of the harder challenges in life. A rewarding one, but a hard journey nonetheless.

With that said, the hacks you see in this listicle are a way to make things at least a tad bit easier, or maybe even the fruit of the hard work parents put into raising a good human being. A fruit that is creative parenting.

But it doesn’t have to be hard. As long as you know what to do, that is half the battle.

One of the best things that you can do as a parent is to “feed your soul.” That means you have to find ways to rest, relax, and restore that which is in your core. You can call it “me time” in a sense—experience something for you every day.

By giving yourself a moment to not care about your parenting worries and instead doing something for you, you recharge. And with that, you can go on being a good parent.

If you cook, listen to what you want in the background. If you need to work, maybe do it in a cafe. If you just had lunch, take a walk around the neighborhood to fully use your lunch hour. Things like that.

The next thing to note is that you are not alone. So, don’t try to brave it alone—build a tribe. Surround yourself with people who would cheer you on when the going gets rough. Sometimes, it’s an issue of not being able to let someone in, and other times you don’t have anyone. But if you make the effort, someone is sure to respond sooner or later.

Another important thing to note is that you gotta stay you. Just because you have kids, that doesn’t mean you have to stop being yourself. Remember what you enjoy, who you were before kids and embrace it. Because nobody feels comfortable dancing to the tune of someone else’s song. Your song is the best fit for you. Incidentally, it can be the song you put on whilst cooking.

You’d be surprised to see how apt kids are at sensing discrepancies in parents—even more so, it would be horrible for them to see that their parents are letting their dreams and ambitions die. So, pursue them. Make them work.

The author discussing this, Sarah Bragg, elaborated on how she pursued her dream of launching a podcast. In it, she talks to people about survival as a parent, inspiring hope for those who need it.

Now, her daughter thinks it’s the coolest thing ever. Imagine seeing your mom being featured on iTunes alongside the likes of Taylor Swift. It’s as cool as having a Wikipedia page or having google auto-fill your name or something you’ve done but it is not yourself who’s googling you. Yeah, it’s that kind of rad.

Like with many other aspects of life, there is no shame in asking for help. Ever. Parenting isn’t a one man gig. Your significant other can and should always help. Grandparents and parents, brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, nieces and nephews all have the potential for helping out when parenting gets tough—and their involvement will only strengthen the bond of the family.

Last, but certainly not least, stay positive. Being grumpy and negative never really amounts to anything, and especially not parenting. Be there for your kids, watch them grow as they explore and discover the world, encourage them and let them be a positive influence on you. Life is hard as it is—being salty about it all the time won’t help, so better not even start.

So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Have some parenting hacks that you found to be very helpful? Share them and any stories in the comment section below!

And if you want more parenting content, you don’t need to go anywhere, honestly.