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<\/a>Bonamy Oliver<\/p><\/div>\n
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Another article about the impact of children being home from school is prominent on my media feed this morning. As a parent and a family psychologist, I know the story all too well and I fully support its exposure: as home, school and work boundaries blur and as social support is restricted, the heady mix of family stress and proximity intensifies the challenge of being a parent, and \u2013 shame on you, Society \u2013 women are hit hardest.<\/p>\n
And now, when it seems like they have hardly been back, when many have been out of school anyway, here come the long school holidays. Brace yourselves.<\/p>\n
Parents vary in how they feel about being a parent (so too, children vary in how they make parents feel about it). Nevertheless, all parents experience moments from \u2018tricky\u2019 to \u2018tearing-my-hair-out-difficult\u2019. The message is: Not feeling it today? It\u2019s ok. You are not alone.<\/em><\/p>\n Just hearing this message can be a valuable form of social support for parents. Look no further than the rise in \u2018imperfect parent\u2019 blogs and articles to see a demonstration of parents\u2019 need for such normalisation of their negative feelings.<\/p>\n But lately I have been troubled by a new thought. Who else is listening?<\/p>\n Messages about parenting being a challenge are everywhere: online, in the press, as a meme…yet, despite continual concern about children and young people\u2019s access to inappropriate content on other matters \u2013 and subsequent impact on their wellbeing \u2013 it suits us to ignore the fact that, though designed for parents, these are messages that reach our children.<\/p>\n We are stuck between a rock and a hard place: parents need to hear the message, children really don\u2019t.<\/p>\n The question is, how do children process the messages that so relieve parents?<\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n