Don’t Overfocus On Your Child

So many clients I see are completely burned out from parenting in today’s super intensive way. With my first and even second child, I completely bought in to this idea, and I would have continued to do so if not for the following variables:

– I had my third child in 3.5 years, rendering this level of focus impossible, and

– I started to see more clients who were completely burned out by parenting and this made me really re-examine how I parented.

Here are some indicators that you are hyperfocusing on your child(ren):

1. You never have an interesting conversation with your partner while your kids are awake
2. You don’t watch anything on TV/listen to any music/podcast that the kids won’t like/find educational
3. Your weekend activities center wholly on the kids’ interests
4. You feel burned out and anxious about parenting
5. You think constantly about your kids’ development/progress
6. Your kids’ extracurricular activities supersede your own interests, stretch your finances, and cause you stress on a regular basis

Another way to view kids, which is a revelation in today’s hothouse parenting climate, is that they are just another family member, whose needs, wants, interests, and…