Are you self-sabotaging your parenting capabilities with these 6 issues?
Last week we looked at what could be happening for our children when the ‘family’ isn’t running smoothly. This week we will look at what is happening for us, the parents/carers that may be influencing our less than perfect parenting skills.
- Health – As with the children, are we getting enough sleep, eating properly, getting some exercise, all those wellbeing issues that help us function to our optimal ability. Do we need to do up a menu, plan a walk with the family, change our routine?
- Stress – The saying, ‘wish I could be a kid again’ is because the fun of being a kid is about freedom, not being weighed down 24/7 with decisions to make, responsibilities to take care of etc, etc, etc. Stress is a part of daily life, and inevitably here will be times when we as parents are stressed. How can we detach from that stress when we are with our kids? How can we manage their needs when we are stressed? We can learn to detach by using strategies and awareness. These skills are learnt over time, but you do need to acknowledge that it is OUR stress as parents and adults, and the kids do not need to take it on as well.
- Time – We never have enough time, but we cannot change the fact that there are only 24 hours in the day, and 6 hours at least are spent sleeping. Time management needs to be considered. What can be reshuffled? Do we need to prioritise time with people rather than time cleaning and working? Do we need to cut back on our workload or activities? Do we need a family diary or whiteboard to co-ordinate everyone? Reassessing where and how we spend our time can have a major impact on the happiness of the family.
- Focus & values – There is so much to do each day and each week, but life is to be lived, so where are we putting our focuses? Did we have kids to spend our whole life working and not seeing them? Are you getting time out from the kids to work on relationships and get some down time? What is most important to you and how can you prioritise and have the most important things happening more?
- Own state of mind – We all have days where we are feeling more flat than other days. Weather, hormones, circumstances, they will affect our mood. It is our choice how much we acknowledge how we feel, and how we react to it.
- Knowledge and understanding – kids are all different, situations are different. They respond to different cues, have different experiences to learn from. Parenting is hard, but it will be a lot harder if you are not prepared. There are amazing courses available to all parents, from pre-natal up to teens and beyond. If we have the tools to respond to a child in a supportive manner the outcome is going to be better, for both parents and children. We recommend Maggie Dent – check her out on: https://www.maggiedent.com/
It doesn’t take long to read over the 6 points. But to reduce your parenting stress, really assess each point for your own individual situation and family, that is valuable time spent – valuable for the health of yourself, your children and your whole family.
The office staff at Cherished Cherubs Babysitting are mums, they live and breathe the trials and tribulations of parenting, so let them find you a wonderful babysitter that can give you the time out you sometimes need to make it through the tough times, and to let you enjoy the fun times that you deserve.
Please phone the team on: 0417 927 525 or book online at: cherishedcherubs.com.au
