Replenishing You is Required for Your Child's Health and Growth
Caring for children is one of the most demanding jobs in the world and, in order to do it well, caregivers need regular replenishment through social, emotional and practical supports. These resources lead to family and child flourishing and their absence leads to stress, and struggles that are more likely to build up and be ignored instead of resolved. This build-up leads to illness for parents and children.
Parents can feel replenished through a regular sense of belonging and stress-buffering that comes from being connected to and nurtured by others.
Our work is focused on bringing you and other parents together in communities along with trained peer leaders where everyone shares, resolves and buffers stresses, learns effective coping skills and nourishes parenting knowledge.
You'll feel stress melt, leaving you lighter and opening up room for you to discover and share new ideas and manageable plans. You'll find new ways to see old problems, reconnect with and update your own internal parenting compass and use effective parenting skills that fit your family needs. Starting this cycle of flourishing begins with replenishment.
Read Kelly's story: "The amount of love and support I got from the other parents was amazing."
Replenishing resources to help parents and children navigate recent events
- Parent / Caregiver Guide to Helping Families Cope with COVID-19 Pandemic - this 5 page "cheat sheet" includes a list of self-care and coping tips for adults and a chart of child ages, their possible stress reactions and ways to help and other resources and information. Get support regarding your anxiety or stress from a trained counselor at SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline by calling or texting (800) 985-5990 (For Spanish, press “2”).
- Age-Related Reactions to a Traumatic Event (and how adults can help)
Here's why your replenishment is important:
- Child needs are family priorities and children depend on adults to help them meet their needs and grow and learn.
- Adults require emotional resources for their own health and for the capacity to parent in proactive, positive and responsive ways. Children learn, grow and flourish as a result.
- Caring others are essential for human health. Full stop. Parents need that much more replenishment to navigate the special stresses of parenting. Self-care is essential, but not enough.
Self-replenishment essentials
|
|
Read articles and research about the health benefits of groups for parents and parenting
Download a free copy of TAF magazine featuring support.
Build your emotional vocabulary; support your child's regulatory development.
Nurturing for New Mothers
A new mother can become so involved in the care of her infant that she doesn't recognize her own needs which can lead to emotional or physical trouble if she doesn't have caring support. If you're helping to care for a new mother, finding practical ways to help is almost always welcome. Other ways to help include:
|
|
Nurturing Can Include Older Children
|
|
Parenting Burn Out is Real. Here's What You Need to Know.
Parenting burn-out is a real physical, emotional, and mental response to high levels of stress. If you're feeling relentlessly fatigued, strained, and physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted, your whole body is sending you a signal to slow down and find time to replenish yourself. Ignoring these signals can lead to illness which leaves you unable to function overall or parent as you intend. Pay attention to your body and behaviors and use these resources
|
|
External resources:
- Are you suffering parental burnout? Take the quiz
- Coping with parental burnout and stress
- Parental Burnout: Causes, Signs and How to Cope
- Postpartum Support International (includes helpline 800#)
- American Pregnancy Association - Baby Blues
- Mom Rage: It's Okay to Talk About It
