“Am I Doing Enough?”
\nThis is a question that is all too familiar to most parents; it echoes the walls of every nursery, every household. Maybe you didn’t have time to cook, and you are serving take-out or fast food. Perhaps you returned to work early and did not take the full maternity leave. Or, maybe you feel like you should be working instead of, or in addition to, taking care of your child.
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A few years ago, I experienced major burnout relating to driving my kids to activities. It was springtime, and the spring sports had just started. I had three kids enrolled in a sport each. Their schedules were such that at least one kid had an activity on each day of the week, with some sports overlapping on the same day and time at different locations. My husband and I tried to divide and conquer; however, I often had to rush home from work, warm up a pizza pop (or some other quick food) for my kids and spend most of the evening driving to and from sports.
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The news headlines today have increased the level of stress in our lives. Whether the impacts are direct or indirect, increasing stress can increase your level of anxiety. Constant exposure to the news will increase your stress and has real risks on your mental health. This has been described as “media saturation overload,” “doomscrolling,” or “headline anxiety.”
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As a parent, we want to shield our children from negative experiences, but in reality, we know this isn’t possible. Failure is a part of life and life won’t always go your child’s way. It is inevitable that your child will need to deal with defeat and disappointment. It is important to build your child’s resilience to weather these times.
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