From ‘me time’ to changing diapers: 5 common things new parents fight about

Being a parent is not easy, especially if you are a new one. Once the initial charm of having a baby wears off, your real task as parents begin. You will arrive at a precarious point when a crying baby would no longer sound cute and the stink of soiled diapers would make you nauseous. Don’t be surprised if you start keeping count of the number of times your partner ignored a wailing child at night while you went ahead and changed the diaper. And like a clever general, you would not refrain from pointing this out when you draw swords with your partner later. Yes, be it a serious or a silly issue, new parents fight a lot and there is no stopping them. So, let’s look at a few issues that often irritate couples getting acquainted to parenthood.

Like any other relationship, parenthood too demands sharing of responsibilities. But when one parent is working and the other is a stay-at-home mom or dad, then there will be moments when they would fight over who should do what. Mostly, it is the stay-at-home parent who is expected to carry the burden of all childcare responsibilities on his or her shoulders. It’s obvious that there will be fights between new parents when they are still struggling to divide the responsibilities.

It’s not uncommon for one parent fighting with the other for lack of a social life. This is more prevalent among new parents. It’s obvious that when one stays at home to take care of the little one, his or her social life will come to a standstill. Initially, lack of social life might not seem like an issue but when one partner is deprived of it while the other isn’t, then a fight is inevitable.

The fight over who would change soiled diapers needs no explanation. This does not mean that the parents do not want to do the dirty work, but it merely indicates their resentment over unequal sharing of childcare responsibilities. And not to forget, the burden of soiled diapers in the first few months is so great that it’s normal for new parents to struggle under it.

We all know that a couple’s sex life takes a backseat after they become parents. But how long can a person deny the physical need, which the body demands? With a baby and a thousand other responsibilities, new parents are hardly left with time for each other. Later, this becomes an issue over which they might have disagreements often.

This is a common problem that most working couples face. After the maternity leave of the mother is over, she will be forced to leave her baby (either in the hands of a caring relative or a nanny) and attend office. While a lot of women slowly learn the rules of adjustment but the initial days are very difficult. And same is the case with a man, who might have to take a decision of either continuing his job or becoming a stay-at-home father. So, under such difficult situations, it’s quite natural for new parents to have a difference of opinion.

(All images used here are representational)