u/OkAppointment5857

I (27F) am a single mom to my four year old daughter, and I cannot relax. Ever.

It’s gotten better over the years, but several months ago I moved in with family, and they want to help. They don’t want me to do everything alone, and want me to relax if I need to, because I’d gotten to the point where being a single mom was taking a huge toll on my mental and physical health. So I try to relax sometimes, but I’ll just be sitting in bed scrolling or staring at the wall, upset that relaxing isn’t relaxing anymore, ever since I became a parent. I’ve been trying meditation and relaxation techniques but it just makes me upset. I used to like video games, and reading, and crafts and it’s like I’ve forgotten how to do things for myself just to enjoy, without wondering where my daughter is, if she’s eating, getting into something, needs something, if she’s acting up with my family, etc.

Just wondering if this is something other parents feel too and wondering if I’ll ever get the part of myself back that’s just for me.

My almost four year old is having a tantrum day. Screaming tantrums over little things like screaming at me for milk as I’m literally pouring it.

I don’t usually do this but I had her take a break in her room, with the door not locked. I’ve been researching tantrums and cannot be followed around the house by a screaming child several times a day. It gets to the point where I need to have boundaries.

Well my sister (who is not a mom) decides she wants to go in after two minutes to coddle my child and I had to set a firm boundary that tantrums do not get attention from now on because I need the behavior to stop getting coddled by the family I live with, which is why they aren’t getting better.

I’d appreciate any advice. I feel bad having to set boundaries around family and basically parent them too about this age group and normal parenting strategies.

Edit: I went into the room after ten minutes with snacks and no judgement. We talked about how screaming hurts our ears, and if she’s screaming she can go take a break in her room to calm down.

From the author of The Blood-Traitor Prince and the Cottage, after a year of pursuing traditional publishing for an original work. My writing has improved a ton and I’m on fire with this fic!! 10,000 words and 5 chapters already up!

Took me 27 years to come out of the closet and guess I stepped in shit on the way out 🥰

Also I was on the way to the bar, in pouring rain, and checked the HER app and found out she deleted me an hour before the date we’d had planned for a week that SHE initiated 🙄