My husband and I are on our honeymoon. We?re clinking spoons of gelato under a Mediterranean sun and remarking with pride how we have never been in a fight. No couple has ever been so compatible, so agreeable, so? naïve.
Fast forward one year, and we?re threatening divorce because the dishwasher hasn?t been loaded properly. Door slamming and rage crying are daily occurrences. What?s changed" We have a new baby.
Adding a bundle of joy to an otherwise agreeable marriage can strain even the most patient and understanding of partners. Exhaustion, worry, differences in child-rearing techniques, and unmet expectations are common stressors for new parents, according to Michelle Crowley, a counselor with Family Services of Greater Vancouver. ?While couples have likely been warned that their lifestyle will dramatically change once the baby arrives, many are not prepared for the degree of shift that comes with parenthood,? she says. Truer words have never been spoken. But just to be sure, I reached out to my big group of parent friends to find out what they fought most about during the ?rough patch? of baby?s first year. Their responses were surprisingly consistent (and understandably passionate).
 1. Sleep

If there had been secret cameras in my home during that first year, they would have captured some of the most explosive and unreasonable fights over sleep: Who was getting more, who deserved more, who got to sleep in on weekends, who was more sleep-deprived. No to mention ...