Parenthood is a challenge. Anyone with kids can tell you that. Recently, I read something about parenthood that sort of irked me. The article I read noted that motherhood was the most important part of parenthood because mothers have a stronger bond with their children. This article mentioned that this went strictly for households that were traditional two-parent households, and so my article will focus on this same group.

Now, this irked me substantially because motherhood is only one part of the parenting equation. There is no "I" in TEAM. Parenting, whether it be for your first child or your fifth, involves teamwork. Both parents play an important role in child development. I guarantee that at some point in time, the father of the child has changed a diaper, fed the baby, or maybe he even holds the little bundle while playing NBA 2K18. There are times when your little team is going to struggle with differences in parenting styles.

But eventually, a pattern is going to set itself, and it'll be like a smooth running machine. If you're a SAHM (stay-at-home mom), chances are that you're going to be spending more time with the child just because you're home. However, that doesn't mean that you get to assume that the time you spend with the child means more than the time spent by your working spouse. Both are important for the way a kid develops. The same goes for SAHD (stay-at-home dads).

Another argument that came into play was the fact that because the mom carried the baby for nine months, the father figure has less say in the parenting decisions. Now it takes two to tango, people. You didn't create that baby on your own, so the father has just as many rights to exercise his views on raising the child you jointly created. Also, just because the child came from your uterus, doesn't mean that all of your ideas concerning said child are correct.

A lot of mothers assume that because they have the nurturing "instinct" that they make better parents. This isn't always the case and no one should assume that a father can't do an equally good job. I've met plenty of fathers who spend more time with their kids than they do with any other person. I've met fathers who make pureed vegetables in those baby blenders everyday because they want their kid to be healthy.

Overall, have more faith in your partners. There is no reason to belittle either member of a parenting team. The bond between a parent and child is unique. A father and child could have an entirely different bond than the same child and mother. Work as a team to raise your little.