Kids, as adorable as they are, are exhausting. Raising kids during a pandemic — even more exhausting, even if you’re trying to parent mindfully. But now there’s news to vindicate all suffering parents who have been feeling burnt out. Science has confirmed that parental burnout is a thing. And it’s especially a thing in westernised countries.
So you’ve heard of work burnout, but you may be sitting there wondering what parental burnout is. The study refers to it as “a high level of stress in the family [that] can lead to parental exhaustion.” Amber Rules, director and founder of Rough Patch, an affordable counselling and mental health care service, goes a bit deeper.