Becoming a parent is a significant life event, and caring for an additional family member adds another layer of responsibility to your life. This can make accomplishing daily routines more challenging, and it can also make caring for yourself more difficult.
Many parents find their infant’s or teenager’s behaviour both confusing and frustrating, and it’s very normal to feel stressed and to experience a range of emotions, including occasional bouts of unhappiness and negativity. However, prolonged feelings of unhappiness or feelings of being overstressed can gradually impair your confidence, self-esteem, and even your physical health. This in turn can affect your ability to “be there” for your family. If you are finding these feelings or your situation difficult to handle, you should seek help.
Common causes of parenting difficulties
There are many causes of parenting difficulties, and everybody’s needs are different, but common issues include:
- Adjusting to being a new parent, or even contemplating or preparing to become one
- Managing conflicts or behavioural issues amongst family members
- Experiencing marital conflict or separation
- Managing the challenges of a family member with a disability or a mental illness
- Parental depression, anxiety, or stress
- Life issues, such as financial strain or the death of loved one.
How can Seed Psychology help?
If you are experiencing parenting difficulties, our staff can work closely with you individually, or together with your family, to support you. Our psychologists can help you to improve your family life by helping you to develop new skills and strategies, such as building assertiveness, and setting boundaries. We can even help you to explain difficult topics such as death or separation to children.
