Parenting is a rewarding yet challenging journey that can sometimes lead to parental burnout. It's crucial to recognize and address parental burnout to maintain both your well-being and the well-being of your family. Let's explore the symptoms of parental burnout and some effective self-care tips and strategies to manage it. Symptoms of Parental Burnout Emotional Exhaustion: One of the primary symptoms of parental burnout is emotional exhaustion. This feeling can manifest as a constant sense of fatigue, even after a good night’s sleep. Parents might feel drained and struggle to find the energy to handle daily tasks (Smith, 2020). Detachment: Parents experiencing burnout may begin to feel detached from their children and their role as a parents. This detachment can lead to a sense of numbness or indifference towards parenting responsibilities (Jones, 2019). Feeling of Inadequacy: Burnout can foster feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. Parents might feel like they are not doing...

While parenting is a beautiful journey, it can also be fraught with stress, anxiety, and moments when it seems like the world is moving too quickly. Amidst the whirlwind of raising children, maintaining a household, and possibly juggling work, finding peace and calm can feel impossible. This is where mindfulness comes in. What is mindfulness? At its core, mindfulness is the practice of being fully present in the moment and aware of your thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment, (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). It’s about stepping back from the chaos and finding a sense of calm and clarity. Mindfulness is rooted in ancient meditation practices, but it has gained significant popularity in modern times due to its profound impact on mental and emotional well-being. Why is Mindfulness Important for Parents? Reduces Stress : Parenting is inherently stressful. Mindfulness helps reduce stress levels by allowing parents to manage their reactions to challenging situations more effectively, (Hölz...

  Growing up with narcissistic parents can have long-term consequences for one's emotional well-being and personal development. In this blog post, we will look at the traits of narcissistic parents, the detrimental effects they can have on their children, and, most importantly, how to overcome these difficulties. Individuals can break free from the grip of their narcissistic upbringing and recover their personal power and self-worth by learning the dynamics and healing procedures. Understanding Narcissistic Parents Narcissistic parents are characterized by their overwhelming self-centeredness, which manifests in a variety of destructive behaviors. Their relentless need for adoration and attention leads them to manipulate and control those around them, completely disregarding the feelings and needs of others, including their own children. As extensions of themselves, these parents view their children merely as tools to fulfill their own desires and ambitions. Consequently, they trea...

Introduction  Parenting presents its own set of problems and duties. In today's fast-paced and often chaotic environment, it's easy for parents to get caught up in the trap of continuously hustling and multitasking, forgetting to actually connect with their children. However, by actively listening to our children, we can strengthen our bonds, promote their emotional growth, and provide them with the support they require to thrive. In this blog post, we will look at the many advantages of actively listening to your child and provide practical advice on how to include this ability into your parenting routine. How to actively listen: Emotional Validation:  Active listening provides a strong message to your child of love, acceptance, and respect. We support kids to construct a healthy view of their own value when we sincerely listen to their thoughts and feelings, acknowledging and validating their emotions. This emotional validation increases your child's self-esteem and conf...

When a person or couple decide to try for a baby they usually have a basic idea of how they will parent their child and how they will be as parents. These thoughts are usually based around their own experiences with their parents and how they were raised. Some will have had a positive childhood and the parent will want to raise their child as they were. However, some experiences may have been negative and the parent will then express that they do not want their child to have to go through what they did.  The strategies parents use can fall into categories or ‘styles’. There are four main styles and there are some that are more modern. I will give a brief summary of the main ones and how these styles may affect the outcomes for the children.  Authoritative This style is characterised by reasonable demands that are combined with high responsiveness to their child’s needs. The parents that use this style will have high expectations for their children but will also...

 A big milestone in a new parents journey, and even with subsequent babies, is when they begin eating solid food. However, common problems can be that baby doesn't seem keen on lumpy food or mealtimes become a battle with an older toddler. You want to provide them with healthy fruit and vegetables, they want chicken and chips. My aim for this post is to help parents with the basics of baby-led weaning. When to start solids. Current NHS guidelines states to start babies on solids at six months alongside their usual breastmilk or formula. However, some babies seem ready before this but this is a common misconception.  Parents can be told by others that certain signs their babies are showing means their ready for solids but this is not the case. Parents are told that:  Night waking is a sign of readiness. Babies wake during the night for numerous reasons but if baby is under six months old and does seem genuinely hungry then more milk should be offered rather than solids. Ot...