Parents, aim for 'good enough' not 'perfect' this lockdown
Respected clinical Psychologist David Abrahamsohn says parents should not put themselves under additional pressure over the lockdown period by seeking perfection. 'Good enough' is good enough, he tells 'DrD' Dorianne Weil in her latest podcast episode on Thrive with 'DrD'.
Abrahamsohn, who specialises in parenting, child therapy and adolescent therapy, says it's a very tough time to be a parent. He says there's currently a barrage of information and advice on how to parent or home school or attend to your child's psychological needs in a lockdown situation, adding that the information overload can feel overwhelming.
"So, I think the first thing is to be kind to yourself as a parent. So if your child... is on their screens more, I would say that's absolutely fine. And the reason being is that you do want them to talk about their feelings; you do want to allow them to express themselves, but at the same time you don't want them to be thinking about it [lockdown and COVID-19) 24/7 - and distractions are so important."
"We're not looking for perfection," Abrahamsohn added. "'Good enough' is actually what we aim for. We're aiming to do this [lockdown] good enough. We want, both our children and ourselves, to come out of this closer."
Listen to Abrahamsohn and 'DrD' chat about this, and more, in the latest Thrive with 'DrD' podcast.
Find more episodes from 'DrD' below.