Parenting | Mental Health
Caring for ourselves enables us to better care for our children
Me and My Mini-Me
The importance of self-care is something we caregivers tend to understand intellectually, but which many of us have trouble putting into practice.
Myself (very much) included.
Self-care is necessary, not selfish
Those of us who work with children and families — and most of us who are parents — know that when our children are struggling, or have challenges in their lives, the first place to start looking for solutions is with us, the adults.
In order for us to be ready and able to support our children, we also need to take care of ourselves. This is important for everyone, but is especially true for caregivers with their own mental health issues, disabilities, or neurodifferences.
My 8 year old son is a mini-me. He is spirited (a.k.a. stubborn and strong-willed), curious, intelligent, cynical, and energetic. He is adventurous and impulsive. He is certainly not afraid to “speak truth to power”, as they say — in fact, I think he quite enjoys it. My son is 2e, he is gifted with ADHD and anxiety, just like me.
