A parent and expert’s view

It’s really, really important for parents and carers to be able to look after their own needs and to be able to put themselves first from time to time, especially when they’re caring for others or looking after and supporting children who are feeling low or have other difficulties. Well, research actually shows us that parents find it incredibly difficult to put their own needs first. It’s almost as if they put their life on hold while their child is not OK. But actually, what we want parents to realise is that the more OK they are, the more they will be able to support their children.

And a lot of parents say that they feel really guilty about that, and they feel like they can’t possibly have fun or go and do a really nice activity or go and take time out when they know that their child is not feeling OK. And what we’re trying to say is actually, we need to flip that the other way around and think about this as a really crucial first step in being able to support others.