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Being a parent, especially one with a baby or young child, can be isolating.That was a headline that caught my eye this morning. And maybe it’s just me (I doubt it), but that kind of parent seems like the selfish type.
But the article included some reasons why being a parent can be isolating.
Now, hold on to your hat. Because there are some terrifying things parents do that bring on this problem:
- be sure bills are paid
- feed the kids
- navigate nap times and illnesses
- jam-packed extracurricular schedules and homework
- clean the house
And the article said a survey showed how, due to the demands of parenthood, 66% of the respondents feel isolated, lonely, and “burned out by their responsibilities as a parent.” And “38% of respondents said they don’t have anyone to support them in their parenting role.”
The survey reveals a lot of wimpy parents.
Now, my wife and I didn’t experience the blessing of kids. So, on one level, I’m disqualified to pass judgment on parents who DID have kids. But here’s the thing. Stats, from all kinds of sources, say the average American household, in recent years, has about three people. So, for households with kids that means either 2 parents and a kid or 2 kids and a parent.
Any way you look at it, that’s not a lot. So, why all the “overwhelming feeling of exhaustion,” as described by an associate clinical professor at The Ohio State University College of Nursing. She said it like this:
“In this specific role of being a parent, it’s that ability to never really feel like you’re above water. And then that causes other things to start happening. Like feeling more detached from your children and less like you’re a good parent. Loneliness can really exacerbate a lot of those feelings.”
When I was a kid, WAY back in the 20th century, lots of households included more than one kid. In fact, many kids I grew up with came from families with 4 or 5 kids. And that was the case in both households I grew up in.
And even after I flew the coop I never heard my parents mention how burned out and isolated they felt during their full-time parenting years. It wasn’t because they never dealt with any serious issues. Every family has those. No, I believe selfishness has increased exponentially in recent years. Especially since “things” are easy and relationships aren’t.
I hope you’re not a parent who’s feeling detached from your kids.
Because kids need parents (and grandparents, aunts, and uncles) who will help them transition into confident, responsible adults. So, my recommendation is to take the focus off self and put it on serving others. Just as the Navy commercials used to say, “It’s not just a job. It’s an adventure.”
And the best gift you give kids is the knowledge of what it takes to live forever. That’s when you store up your treasures in Heaven where no bank, no foreign power, and no tyrannical government can ever take the away from you.
One of the next best gifts you can give kids is a world of imagination they can find in words and music. And it just so happens I know where you can get some mighty fun words and music. In my “Kiddin’ Around” Collection. See and listen to a video demo of the songs here: (https://youtu.be/dTZTtsyZQdk)
And download all 10 songs for $10 at this link: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=L6MAH2QKHU5J8
Stay tuned,
