Gratitude isn’t a panacea, but it can be a gentle starting point on overwhelming days. In the midst of sleepless nights, endless to-dos, and the emotional highs and lows of parenting, pausing to notice small moments of joy can offer a space for relief. Even when gratitude feels out of reach, simply acknowledging its possibility can help shift your perspective and lighten your load.
Parenting stretches us in ways we never expected, testing our patience, resilience, and capacity for love. Gratitude doesn’t erase the hard parts, but it can help you see the full picture: the struggle and the sweetness, side by side. By finding gratitude, you’re not ignoring the tough moments; you’re building the mental muscle to move through them with intention and hope.
Here are a few ways to bring gratitude into your daily routine:
You are stronger than you think, and every challenge you face is shaping a mind and heart that can handle more than you ever imagined. Give yourself permission to feel it all, and remember that small acts of gratitude can help you find steadiness in the storm.
James Clear, author of Atomic Habits, notes how persevering through challenges builds your mental toughness:
You are only as mentally tough as your life demands you to be.
An easy life fashions a mind that can only handle ease. A challenging life builds a mind that can handle challenge. Like a muscle that atrophies without use, mental strength fades unless it is tested.
Adrienne Rich, poet, author, and activist, highlights the the raw, complicated truth of parenthood:
My children cause me the most exquisite suffering of which I have any experience. It is the suffering of ambivalence: the murderous alternation between bitter resentment and raw-edged nerves, and blissful gratification and tenderness.
from Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution
How will you find time for gratitude this weekend?
Take a moment for yourself with the Moment for Parents app.