Parenting, 2

There seems to be a link with intense mothering, personal mindset and specific beliefs, and lowered life satisfaction. For example, researchers studied 181 mothers who had children under the age of 5. Study conclusions were that the mothers who believed strongly that females were better parents than males, were more likely to be depressed and experience lower satisfaction with life. The mothers who felt strongly that children were “sacred”, had similar outcomes. Bottom line: Helicopter or Intense Mothering tends to leave little to no time for the mother to fill her own cup and live a healthy life. Caring begins at home! The mother needs to not only take care of herself but also role-model balance. To achieve—even when a mother can stay at home to do full-time parenting—requires choice and personal discipline. By all means, mothers need to be a caring parent. However, mothers also need to take care of their own physical and mental health.