The Consequences Of Parental Stress

There is no doubt that having a child is a blessing. But the consequences of parental stress that arise from raising a child is a completely different matter. In fact, we can almost compare raising a child to running a marathon.

When a woman is pregnant, she is told that stress is a risk factor and that it can affect the baby’s development. However, a woman’s life changes quite drastically when the baby is born, and it is not so easy to avoid everything that can cause stress.

A good deal of stress arises from a trend that most parents have noticed: Getting their children to participate in many leisure activities. In many cases, these activities will increase parents’ guilt for not spending enough time with their children.

The consequences of parental stress: Advice for mothers

When the baby is born, very few parents know how to deal with stress, or how to create a relaxing environment in the house to avoid stress. In fact, it often happens that people think that as a parent you have to “learn along the way”, so then there are also very few who care enough to explain how the problem can be solved. On the other hand, if the mother has a professional career, this will also complicate the situation.

This fact in itself is already stressful. In addition , many experts recommend other habits that can make everything even more demanding, such as letting the newborn baby sleep in the parents ‘room, but not in the parents’ bed.

Also, mothers need to be very careful about what they eat while still breastfeeding. And there is also stigma through foolish ideas, such as that if a woman starts working again, she does not love her child. But also that if she stays at home, she does not love herself.

Football training, band practice and the budget

All of these factors make parents tired and stressed people ; people looking in every corner to find as much time as they can.

As soon as children are old enough to start teaching music, joining sports teams or learning a new language, this stress can continue to increase. Driving them to football practice, picking them up, making sure they get to band practice… These activities require, in addition to time, financial resources. Often there is equipment that must be purchased and monthly fees for membership and the like. Sometimes parents will ask themselves “ Can I pay for a better education for my children? », Which in turn leads to more limited family budgets and extra overtime at work to earn enough to pay for the aforementioned activities.

The very real consequences of parental stress

Being under such stress for extended periods of time will obviously affect your health. Abdominal pain, headaches and muscle aches can start to occur. The long-term consequences of parental stress are even more dangerous and include high blood pressure, heart disease, anxiety and depression.

And these are just the consequences of parental health. But the truth is that the consequences of parental stress also affect children. From the moment she becomes pregnant, the mother’s stress can affect the baby’s health. In fact, a research study on this aspect shows that maternal stress during pregnancy can affect the baby’s physiology and mental stability.

During the first years of life, children with parents who suffer from stress and anxiety tend to pass it on to the next generation. It also seems that a very controlling parenting style can increase anxiety to even higher levels.

You do not have to rush to be a good parent

According to these data, the obvious conclusion is that the consequences of parental stress can be dangerous for parents as well as their children in several ways . Too many activities and opportunities for success for a child can be counterproductive if it only leads to more stress.

Maybe it’s time to take a step back and rethink everything from a new perspective. Maybe so many activities are not necessary, or maybe you can replace them with other, a little more relaxing activities. Although you may think that the activities offered nearby or those you can find at home are not the best, keep in mind that it is the family’s physical and mental health that is most important.