Methods to combat against your mom stress & prevent burnout. Time alone & self-care are crucial. Among the issues leading to mom overload, many of us find it difficult to make time & save energy to care for ourselves. Hobbies & enjoyable activities with friends before we became a mother are past. However, many of…
What causes working mother burnout?
The questions that working mothers ask me most often are “What causes burnout, and how do I know if I have it?” My story illustrates nicely the factors that contribute to our current epidemic of working mother burnout. I was forty-four, a busy working mom of three, when my personal episode of working mom burnout…
Increasing Numbers of Children Affected with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Updated CDC Report on Autism Recently the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), announced that the prevalence of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has grown to one in 36 eight-year-olds (2.8%). The CDC spokesperson commented that the increase is most likely due to greater awareness and more children being identified. The rates of…
What are your highest American values?
Recent survey of American adults. With eagerness I examined the new report from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) describing the results of a survey recently conducted to determine American adults’ views on their greatest values. NORC at the University of Chicago, a nonpartisan research organization, teamed up with the WSJ to survey 1,019 American adults…
From working mother burnout to good-enough mother.
The backstory of my working mother burnout When I was a young working mother, I felt very unsuccessful. Struggling to care for three children, work full-time as a physician, and get adequate help from my husband, I was chronically unhappy. Childcare challenges (an unexpectedly sick child) seemed to present themselves at the worst possible moments…
The best features of a family schedule
The school year schedule. My favorite family schedule is the school year schedule. It begins with meet the teacher, then back to school night where you get a feel for their classroom and sit in those precious little desks. Next is the fall festival or Halloween carnival. There are costumes to order and decorations to…
The 5 Best Family Rituals
Among these five family rituals, is your favorite one on the list? Is your favorite family ritual the family dinner, trips to the grocery store, bedtime routines, family movie night, or family meetings? As parents we try to structure our family time together to provide love and connection. There are certain family rituals that are…
Three sure signs of serious mom burnout
My mom burnout remembrance. I was reading an article about mom burnout for those of us who are at the end of our rope with a certain child or adolescent. This can happen if you have a difficult child, or a challenged child, or a child with a physical disability, or one with a challenging…
Feeling worthwhile in the NICU
A Typical NICU patient I love to think about this one baby boy patient of mine. It was such a feeling worthwhile. He was born into my care nineteen years ago. His mother came into L&D with premature rupture of membranes, without any fever. She was given antibiotics and steroids to mature the baby’s lungs….
5 Things Our Parents Used to Say….That Were Right!
We heard certain things, over and over again, from our parents. It turns out that they were pearls of wisdom and still true today! Here are some of my favorites: “Go outside and play” Children aged 8 to 10 years spend about 6 hours a day in front of a screen (inside) for entertainment (4…
“Soft Skills” are an effective mother’s tools for living
Recently, I read a businessman’s update on critical skills that employers are searching for. The skills that may not be listed on your resume. These “soft skills” – he called them – that are currently desirable in business include: Scheduling Time management Communication Customer service Flexibility Ability to work independently Project management Analytical thinking I…
