From the moment you see those two stripes on the pregnancy test you start stressing: about what to eat, what to drink, do you get enough vitamins? And when your little one is born it gets even worse: what does this cry means? Why isn’t he walking yet? Am I spoiling my kid? Am I too strict? And then you see that perfect parent with her perfect kids and you just know you’re doing it all wrong. You turn to google and find out you should do everything so different!
Relax, you’re doing an amazing job. Besides, there are many reasons why stressing is not the right thing to do when parenting:
#1 Your little one copies everything you do
Including the stressing out. If you are stressed all the time, your child will be stressed too. And because children don’t have many ways to cope with this, this can lead to temper tantrums or your child will withdraw completely. Which will stress you out even more….
Teaching your kid how to deal with stressful events, without getting completely stressed out is an important thing to do. And the best way to teach this, is to show it, to live how you wish your child to live.
#2 Stress during pregnancy can be dangerous for your baby
When you are pregnant, stress can have a very negative effect on the baby. Your baby can have a lower birth weight, or be born prematurely because of this stress. Stress during pregnancy is also linked to behavioural issues. Those kids are more likely to develop disorders like ADD.
But don’t stress out about being stressed š There are lots of ways to manage this: try prenatal yoga, meditation or talk therapy. Or take a warm bath, curl up with a good book. Whatever feels right for you.
#3 Stressing can lead to overprotecting your children
When you stress about everything that can go wrong, it’s only natural that you want to shield your kids from that. And even though you should protect your children, overprotecting can actually do your kid harm. Overprotected children grow up with low self-esteem, and little knowledge of the world. Because their parents always protected them from everything, they don’t know how to protect themselves when needed.
#4 Stress can make you less patient
When you’re stressed out for any reason, you’ll be less patient. You’ll snap a lot and yell a lot at your child. And that is never a good idea. By calming down you can give your child the love and attention it so desperately needs.
#5 There is no need to stress
Everyone, every parent, does the best they can. And yes, your friend can have a different method of dealing with stuff, that doesn’t mean your way isn’t good too. There are lots of ways to get the same results: happy children that are loved and cared for.
So stop stressing out: you are doing an amazing job. Take the time do de-stress: hire a sitter and go out with your husband, ask someone to watch the kids while you take a long, well deserved bath, take a yoga class, or take up meditation. There are so many ways to relax.
Did you enjoy this article? What things do you do to relax while parenting?
Leave a Reply