By

 

Raising Humans — Parenting Truths — The 5 Things No One Tells You

"Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old they will not depart from it." — Proverbs 22:6

"Nobody told me. Nobody warned me. And yet here I was — completely undone by this tiny human I had only just met."

Before my first child arrived, I read every book. I took the classes, downloaded the apps, colour-coded a schedule that lasted exactly three days before the whole thing fell apart in a glorious, sleep-deprived heap. Nobody told me it would be like this. Nobody sat me down and said: here is what is actually coming. So consider this that conversation — the one I wish someone had with me.

💛
1. The love is bigger than you're ready for

Everyone says "you'll love them more than anything." What they don't say is that this love is almost unbearable at first — a raw, primal force that can feel like anxiety as much as joy. You'll watch them sleep and feel your heart swell while simultaneously dreading every possible thing that could go wrong. Give yourself permission to feel all of it.

🌿
2. You will grieve your old life — and that's okay

You can love your child deeply and still miss who you were before them. That grief doesn't make you a bad parent. It makes you human. Acknowledging it — rather than burying it under guilt — is one of the healthiest things you can do.

"You don't have to enjoy every moment. You just have to show up for most of them."

🤝
3. You'll disagree with your partner more

Parenting surfaces every difference between two people. Sleep schedules, screen time, discipline — suddenly every small thing is a negotiation. The couples who make it treat parenting disagreements as a team problem to solve — not a competition to win.

🪞
4. Your kids will know you better than you know yourself

Children are tiny mirrors. They reflect your patience, your anxiety, your unresolved habits — with zero filter. The things you most need to heal in yourself? Your kids will find them. Every time. This is actually a gift.

⏳
5. The days are long, but the years are shockingly short

This sounds like a cliché until the day you watch them walk out the door as a teenager — and suddenly your whole chest caves in with the weight of how fast it all went. Somewhere between the chaos and exhaustion, there are moments so ordinary and so perfect that you'll want to hold them forever. Notice those. They're the whole point.

Here's what I actually want you to know

You are not going to get this perfectly right. None of us do. Parenting is not a performance — it's a relationship. And like any relationship, it grows through honesty, effort, repair, and an embarrassing amount of forgiveness — mostly of yourself.

Welcome to Raising Humans. I'm so glad you're here. 🌸


Ruth Gitau
Christian. Passionate parent. Growing minds. Nurturing hearts. Writing honestly about faith, parenting & raising children with love and intention.

Growing Minds. Nurturing Hearts.

Join our community — weekly posts, podcast episodes & honest conversation. Free, always.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

By
Image
"Train up a child in the way they should go." — Proverbs 22:6 "You don't need to turn your home into a strict religious space let your faith naturally shape how you love, guide, and teach your child." For a long time, I thought faith-filled parenting meant having all the answers. I put so much pressure on myself to parent "correctly" in the eyes of God that I forgot the most important thing Grace. The truth: when faith is real, it lives in the small moments. The quiet ones. The messy ones. 🪞 1. Start by modelling your beliefs Children learn more from what you do than what you say. If they see kindness, patience, forgiveness and honesty in your daily actions, they connect those values to your faith long before they can articulate why. You cannot preach what you do not live. Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16 🌅 2. Make faith part of everyday ...
Read more
By
✦ Faith + Mental Health Series · June 2026 When the Spirit Carries What the Mind Cannot Men's mental health, healing, and the faith that holds us together By Raising Humans  |  June 2026  |  9 min read "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak."  Isaiah 40:29 (NIV) The Weight No One Sees T here is a particular kind of exhaustion that lives in the body of a man who has been told, for most of his life, that strength means silence. It is not the tiredness that comes from hard work. It is something heavier  the fatigue of carrying grief that has never been named, fear that has never been spoken, and a longing for peace that he may not even have words for yet. June is Men's Mental Health Month. And this year, at Raising Humans, we want to hold this conversation in a fuller light one that includes not just the psychological and emotional dimensions of men's wellbeing, but the spiritu...
Read more

Strength isn't silence

By
✦ Women's Mental Health  ·  Raising Humans  ·  July 2026 Strength Isn't Silence  A Word to Every Woman Too For the woman who holds everyone together — it is your turn to be held. By Raising Humans  |  July 2026  |  10 min read “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25 (NLT) With gratitude to the friend who simply asked: “How are you doing?” — and waited for the real answer. Twenty-one years of friendship. Thank you. T hree weeks ago, I received a text from a friend. Not just any friend  someone who has walked with me for twenty + years. Someone who knew me before I became a mother, before I took on every role and responsibility that now fills my days. She simply asked: “How are you doing?” I sat with my phone in my hand and cried. Not because I didn’t know the answer. I cried because I f...
Read more