Anyone else deal with constant worry about whether you're doing enough for your kids? I lie awake at night thinking about climate change, their education, whether we're saving enough for college. My wife says I need to chill but I can't turn it off. Started seeing a therapist last month but some days are still rough.
I deal with this hard. The thing that helped me was talking to my therapist about the difference between reasonable concern and catastrophizing. You're probably doing better than you think.
The lying awake part gets me. I can't shut my brain off at night either. Have you tried just talking to someone professional about it? This might be anxiety that needs actual help not just dad perspective.
I hear you man. The climate change, education stuff, it all keeps me up too. What helps is remembering you're already doing enough just by caring this much and showing up for them every day.
Hospital nights got me thinking dark thoughts too until I realized the anxiety was lying to me. Kids are resilient and they've got you in their corner, which already puts them ahead.
Three kids and I still wrestle with this constantly. Best thing I did was talk to someone about it instead of just spiraling at night. Your kids need you present more than they need you perfect.
This is me right now honestly. Constant spiral thinking about whether they're getting enough attention, good enough school, doing the right activities. It's exhausting and I don't have a great solution yet.
Man I feel this in my soul. With teenagers it's even worse because you can see all the potential problems coming. I've had to work with a therapist on this because it was affecting everything.
The fact that you're worried about doing enough probably means you're doing just fine. The parents who mess up are the ones who don't care at all. You're clearly invested.
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I deal with this constantly. Lying awake at 3am wondering if I'm messing everything up. What kind of things trigger the worry most for you? Is it school stuff, social stuff, general life prep?