Parents are so used to questions from their kids.

“Where are my socks?”

“What’s for dinner?”

And the daunting one every mom and dad asks themselves every day:

 Why doesn’t a kid who is already sleepy want to sleep?

Having kids is one of the best things to happen to me, but parenthood can be taxing when there’s too much on the plate.

So much that the U.S. Surgeon General recently issued a public health advisory about the impact of modern stresses on parents’ mental health.

As parents, we tend to our children’s well-being and manage family finances. Things like inflation aren’t helping and we have to deal with more stressors than previous generations.

When we were younger, everybody had heard of “keeping up with the Joneses.” But, these days, the rise of social media has created a “culture of comparison”, bringing unrealistic expectations and trends that parents struggle to keep up with. Think fancy school lunches or elaborate party themes.

Unfortunately, such expectations could grow toxic, inducing guilt and shame in the hearts of some parents who feel they aren’t doing enough. It’s a vicious cycle.

I don’t know about you, but most parents I know spend twice as much time with their children compared with our parents. Still the majority feel parenting is harder than it used to be.

It’s not that they aren’t trying.

We just want to do more, and better – often at our own expense. And to many, enough is never enough.

For the sake of mental health, let’s take a step back and appreciate what we – and other parents – have accomplished.

Because happy parents make a happy family!

By Daria Horbal, BSc.Phm.