John Krasinski Gets Real About The Highs And Lows Of Parenting: ‘No One Really Tells You That It’s Hard’

There is no job that is as tough as parenthood. It’s a 24-7 task that never ends, not even when your kids grow up and leave the house. Your heart is always with them, wondering if they are safe, if they are eating well, and if the world is being kind to them.

And parenting little ones, in particular, is physically demanding. You rarely get enough sleep, and some days feel like you’re dealing with meltdown after meltdown. It’s enough to make a person crazy! John Krasinski, star of “The Office” and “13 Hours,” spoke for many of us when he recently told TODAY that he never realized quite how difficult parenting would be.

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“I’m a big fan of being open about the truth and how you really feel, and not putting on a pretty face for everybody,” he said. “No one really tells you that it’s hard and there are sleepless nights. Kids get sick, kids fall down and get hurt, and all these things are really intense and really emotionally difficult and you hurt for them more than you hurt for yourself. And one of the best things I ever heard from one of my friends who just had a kid was, ‘It’s so amazing, it’s the best thing that could happen’ and I said ‘That’s so great.’ And he said ‘And it’s really, really hard,’ and I said ‘Thank you so much for being honest.’ I think there’s a sense of relief hearing that it’s hard for other people, because you’re all in this fight together.”

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Krasinski has two children with actress Emily Blunt (of “The Girl on the Train” and “The Devil Wears Prada” fame), a 2-year-old named Hazel and a 6-month-old named Violet. He says that becoming a dad made him realize how awesome his own parents were, and how hard they must have worked to be such great parents.

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Kraskinski spoke another parenting truth in his interview when he questioned what the heck he did with his time before having kids.

“I think the biggest question I have is, what did I do with my life before this?” he said. “What did I do with all the time that I had on my hands? I think it’s certainly a full-on job, and something that I enjoy so much, but I really do look back and think, was I just the dude who ate potato chips and movies all day?”

We can all relate, John. We can all relate. What in the world did we do with our time before having kids?

We’re so glad that Kraskinski is speaking honestly about the struggles that accompany the joys of parenting. No matter how many times you hear it, you never realize how difficult parenting is until you actually go through it yourself.

His honesty is refreshing. Hearing other parents share their struggles and speak out about the difficulty of raising kids is so important. It lets other parents know that they aren’t alone and encourages them to ask for help when they are overwhelmed.

Here’s to all those parents out there who are trying their best everyday!

h/t: Huffington Post