Kids on the Coast – Sunshine Coast – Summer Edition – out now!
Well, another Christmas/summer/end of school/fall in a heap time is already here.
How are you all holding up?
It’s a busy time for everything, and we are the glue that holds it all together.
We make sure the formal uniform is clean, the kindy teacher gifts are done, cards are sent, stockings are filled, work deadlines are met, carols are sung, and Christmas day is magical… so let’s take a moment to appreciate the pure superhuman powers of mums and dads at this time of year.
Because it’s hard raising little people, and it’s been exceptionally hard over the last few years.
Recently, over a long-overdue margarita with a friend, she reminded me about ‘good enough parenting’.
The idea comes from British paediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, and it’s been my go-to philosophy throughout this crazy parenting journey.
Winnicott’s research found that parents don’t need to be constantly attentive to their children. In fact, Winnicott found that even if we could be completely attuned to our baby’s every need, at every moment, this would not support their healthy development. Good enough parenting is not at all about compromising your baby’s wellbeing.
Good enough parenting is actually great parenting. And it means that, as a parent, you are there to support them but not to do everything. You can still have time for yourself. To drink your coffee whilst it’s hot. To take a shower. To forget things. To be imperfect. To do what you need for your own wellbeing. And that helps our kids, too! Over time, these experiences help our children to develop the resilience they need to live in the imperfect, real world.
I’ve never been remotely perfect. I swear too much, I love a cold beer, my kids eat sugar, McDonald’s IS a treat, and I regularly forget to walk the dog. But we must all remind ourselves, especially at this time of year, that good enough IS good enough!
You are doing an amazing job; have a merry Christmas and a ‘good enough’ summer!
Kids on the Coast – Sunshine Coast | Summer 2023 edition
Pick up a copy from parenting hotspots across the Sunshine Coast, or read the digital edition online now! ↓
Servicing Brisbane, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and beyond, Kids on the Coast is an online guide for parents with kids events, attractions & things to do with kids, schools and education, school holiday guides, health & wellbeing for families, parenting and lifestyle news located on Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast & Brisbane, QLD.
