Mental Healh in Mothers/Parents

Mental health of parents is vital in the development of themselves, as well as the children in their care.  If children are sponges to their environment, then the aim of every parent should be to prompt healthy development.  I feel most parents truly strive to be a positive influence and role model for their children, but life happens.  In everyone there at some point comes stressors, or situations that contribute to stress.  As a parent myself, I have found it easy to be frustrated and its recoil is sometimes turn toward the kids.  Have you ever had a day where it seemed everything you touch fell apart, or anything you were engaged with just did not go a planned?  Life comes in many of these shades and we as adults have to be able to manage them appropriately.  We have to realize we have eyes and ears constantly soaking up or actions and demeanor.  As any parent the introduction of a baby is very rewarding but very nerve racking as well.  I remember the fear I had being a new mom.  I thought, how am I even going to put his clothes on without hurting him.  So tiny and so precious.  I did not have the first clue.  Besides the stress of the unknown with a new baby, the beginning mentality of the parents are vital.  Does the parents currently struggle with depression or any other mental health concerns, as there is an abundance of mental diseases.  For anyone with mental health problems it can be a struggle to get through daily functions, especially with another outside stressors.  The point is that parents with mental illnesses can contribute to how a child develops holistically.  If there is already an error in a parent’s DNA, we have to question whether this error was inherited by the child.  Will the child have similar traits?  All of these factors will paly apart in how we approach the vitalness of parent influence, attachment.  Parents and families contribute to an abundant amount of influence in a child’s life and throughout their life span.

Referring to a recent article based on the mental health of parents in Australia with children with disabilities, provided by Australian Government in August  22, 2012 (Burke-Taylor, 2012) creates great light into the stressors of life and the impacts it can make on a life of more than the one suffering from the disability.  Not only are the children with disabilities facing challenges in their own world, such as socially, school, learning, and more, but he family members as well.  Mother’s face many challenges related to their child’s disability.  The disability itself comes with health concerns from physical health and mental health of their child, cost of medical insurance, copays, coinsurances, etc, limitations with insurance, and more.  These are stressors the mother or parent has to focus on, which in hand contributes to its own line of stressors.  Then we must consider the changes in one’s life to accommodate the disability such as special routines, specific schedules with medical providers, and more.  Lastly the look into the mental health of the mother.  As we understand mothers are usually the prime nurturing source for the child.  Even though many fathers contribute to caregiving, the mother-child attachment begins in fetus.  With proper support and programs now available parents can receive support as needed to maintain over-all healthy life in order to be an adequate caregiver for a disabled child.  (Burke-Taylor, 2012).  Many mothers, as I have experienced, we put ourselves last compared to our children.  “Therefore, it is up to professionals who are engaged with families who are raising a child with a disability to play a key role advocating for pathways and services that assist mothers with mental health condition” (Bourke-Taylor, 2012, para. 7). 

In other words, life indeed has many stressors we can not see until we step into another’s shoes.  As an advocate for children and families, as well as a member of a community, one must join together and not judge the other, but support and lift one another up.  I know from my experience as a mother, there is no proper handbook.  Life happens, children have individual minds and we must remain open to any situation that may cause distress to our children or ourselves.  I have eaten the famous words “my child won’t do that,” many times.  We must remain positive, supportive, open, and loving in the life of our self and a child.  The mind is a very complex being that we are learning more about every day.  With what is current we know that development is dynamic and needs enrichment to strive for healthy development.  

Reference:

Bourke-Taylor, H. (2012, August 22). The mental health of mothers of school-aged children        with disability. Australian Government: Australian Institute of Family Studies.