Parenting Hacks: Reclaim Your Joy and Avoid Burnout

Are you a parent who constantly needs breaks from your kids? Feeling "touched out" and burnt out? You're not alone. Many parents struggle with the overwhelming demands of raising children. However, one mom has a unique perspective on how to overcome this challenge and rediscover the joy in parenting.

Unlock the Secret to Enjoying Parenthood Again

Rethink Your Approach to Keeping Kids Busy

Many parents feel the pressure to keep their children constantly engaged and stimulated. They fill their schedules with activities, lessons, and structured playtime, believing this is the key to raising successful, well-rounded kids. However, this approach can backfire, leading to parental burnout and a desperate need for breaks.Amber C., a mom who has found a better way, explains that this constant need to entertain and educate our children is often the root cause of parental exhaustion. "If you're a parent that constantly needs a break from your kids, there's probably one of two things that are happening," she says. "And if you fix these two things, then you will literally never need a break from your kids."Amber suggests that we need to let go of the idea that every moment must be a "teachable moment" or an opportunity to push our children's development. Instead, she encourages parents to create more unstructured time for their kids to play, explore, and simply be. By reducing the constant pressure to keep them busy, we can conserve our own energy and find more joy in the everyday moments of parenting.

Embrace the Opportunity to Teach and Train

The second factor Amber identifies is the tendency for parents to avoid certain tasks and errands because they don't want to deal with their children's behavior. "If your kids are polite and stand near you and are helpful at the grocery store, that's not something that you'll need a break from your kids to do," she explains.Instead of seeing these situations as a burden, Amber encourages parents to view them as valuable teaching opportunities. "Any time the kids' behavior is exhausting you, that means that's a teachable moment," she says. By taking the time to train and guide our children's behavior, we can create a more peaceful and enjoyable environment for the whole family.This approach may require more effort in the short term, but Amber believes it pays off in the long run. "If you increase the behavioral teaching training opportunities because in the household everybody needs to exist, it's not just for the kids," she says. "You will expend less energy, and you'll get to a point where you never need a break from your kids."

Prioritize Self-Care Without Guilt

While Amber's advice focuses on reducing the need for breaks, she acknowledges that self-care is still essential for parents. "Before I made these changes, I was barely surviving motherhood. I was exhausted. I felt like a shell of a person," she admits.However, Amber found that by implementing her strategies, she no longer felt the desperate need to escape from her children. "Once I made these changes and focused on teaching the kids so that we can live in a very nice, peaceful area and did less of these entertaining kids and activities because honestly life is full of lessons … I never need a break from my kids and people will tell me, 'Oh, you should take a break. You should take a break.' I'm like, they're my favorite people to hang out with. I'm happy to go do something else, but I don't need a break from them."This doesn't mean that Amber never takes time for herself. She emphasizes the importance of self-care, but without the guilt or desperation that often accompanies it. By finding a balance between meeting her own needs and investing in her children's growth, Amber has discovered a more sustainable and joyful approach to parenting.