When You Feel Like a Failure as a Parent

Published: March 13, 2019, 12:30 p.m.

b"In this episode we discuss all the reasons we\\u2019ve felt like failures as mothers, why we\\u2019re never as hard on others as we are on ourselves, and what we have done to mitigate these feelings of failure in our own lives.\\xa0 \\xa0\\n\\u201cI feel like I\\u2019m failing at parenting fairly often,\\u201d our listener Becky wrote when she suggested this topic.\\xa0 If it makes you feel any better, Becky, you\\u2019ve got plenty of company. These self-inflicted guilt trips are nearly universal among mothers.\\nBut why? Is it the 24/7 nature of the job? Is it the admittedly high stakes that come from nurturing small humans towards successful adulthoods? Is it our parenting culture, which tells us no matter how much we do, how hard we try, there\\u2019s another mother doing it just a little bit better? \\nWe think it\\u2019s all of the above. We also think talking to other mothers is the best solution. Thanks for being part of our mothering community. \\nHere\\u2019s links to research and other writing on this topic discussed in this episode:\\nRegan Long for Motherly: To the Mom Who Feels Like She's Failing: You're Not. Promise.\\nHeather Marcoux for Motherly: 66% of working parents feel like they're failing\\u2014but the system is actually failing them\\nDoug Parker for Babble: I Feel Like I'm Failing This Parenting Thing Every Damn Day\\nDenise Rowden for Empowering Parents: \\u201cI Feel Like a Failure as a Parent.\\u201d How to Turn That Hopeless Feeling Around\\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices"