parental well-being

The support and education sessions are designed for parents to help them maintain their well-being all the time and especially in challenging times like the recent pandemic when everyone was quarantined at home. The video lesson is a follow-up session to a series that aims to provide them with ideas and suggestions on parental well-being.

In our previous video, “Support and Education for Parents – Session 1,” we discussed how to engage children at home. This session is the 2nd in the series that focuses on how important it is for parents to take good care of themselves, their children, and family. 

Why is Taking Care of Yourselves Important as a Parent?

Raising children is not a simple job, but looking after yourself helps you do the job well. When you take care of your physical, mental, and emotional level, help to give your child what they need to grow and thrive.

The concept of parental well-being extends beyond physical health to encompass your emotional, social, and mental well-being as well.

The 2019 pandemic has had a profound effect on individuals globally, especially parents. Both parents and children have faced serious discomfort during the pandemic lockdown by adjusting and adapting to online classes (digitalization of the education system). It led to emotional and social difficulties in children. Thus, it is important for parents to take care of themselves both mentally and physically. 

Looking after yourself involves looking after your relationships, your health, and your well-being. 

A few traits of parental well-being are:

  • Able to manage daily stresses.
  • Able to enjoy life and that is important to you.
  • Able to manage negative emotions when things get tricky.
  • Having supportive relationships.

In continuation, this session also guides us on how the well-being of the parents affects the well-being of the children. It talks about an article from USA Today, which stated that most parents were facing a tough time handling their emotions and stress while everyone was quarantined at home during the pandemic. As a result, it negatively affected their parenting style and engagement with the children.

Benefits of Parental Well-being for a Child

We all know that children and young people thrive in situations where they feel safe, secure, and respected. Research has also proven that family, especially parents, has a potent influence on the health and well-being of children in order to shape their good habits and behaviors that can last a lifetime.

  • It helps parents to provide encouragement, support, and access to activities that help a child master key development areas.
  • It helps them develop their child’s interpersonal skills, such as self-esteem, life satisfaction, and social competence. 
  • It helps parents to teach their children how to regulate emotions under stress and in difficult situations. 
  • It helps parents to connect with their children better.

The mental health of parents and children is interconnected, as parents who don’t keep well may have difficulty providing good care to their children. 

How to Take Care of Yourself and Improve Your Well-being?

This video also discusses a few ways in which parents can take care of themselves, for example, taking out some personal time, engaging with friends and families and forgiving themselves for their mistakes, etc.

  • Take personal time out: It is very much important for parents to take personal time out. Do yoga, read books, eat healthily, or whatever makes you happy. It will help to channel your negative feelings and maintain a mental balance.
  • Engaging with friends and family: Work is essential, but it is also important to keep in touch with family and friends. Engaging with family and friends helps you to deal with stress and anxiety. Share your problems, embrace the moment with them, and ask for help when in need. 
  • Forging yourself for mistakes: In stressful situations, when everyone is working from home, managing daily chores, children, and office work can be daunting. It is ok to make mistakes. Don’t punish yourself for not making things right. Forgive yourself and acknowledge. 

Watch the video to know how parents can take care of their well-being and build positive relationships with their children and family.

Related Video Resources :

For more Montessori tips for parents and parenting guides, click here.

Video Created by: Montessori School Rochester

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  • montessori
  • parents
  • parents education
  • parents guide