No, you’re not a bad parent–you might just be having parenting burnout.
Parenting burnout can include feelings of extreme stress and exhaustion which might result in actively distancing oneself from your child or feelings of dislike towards your child. Feelings of guilt and shame usually follow as you know you love your child. Here are some tips in order to clear up some of the pent up energy.
Open up to a loved one. While it might be frightening, opening up to your partner might actually be the most beneficial thing to do. You and your partner are meant to work as a team. Asking if your partner and you could disrupt parenting duties might be a good way to help relieve some of your extreme stress. Hiding your extreme stress only reduces your ability to cope with these feelings and will have a negative impact later on in the process.
Ask if you are possibly experiencing postpartum depression? This form of depression is characterized by feelings of emptiness, hopelessness, irritability, racing thoughts, sleeplessness, and sadness. Verwell Mind says that symptoms of PPD might have a new parent feeling like they do not love their baby and even begin to regret having a child. Once again, speaking with a loved one or licensed professional is an amazing way to help navigate these feelings of confusion and peril.
Make peace with what the reality of parenting is. Remember, the expectations about who we are as parents might not live up to the reality at hand.
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