I'm in therapy now and my therapist is helping me see that a lot of my anxiety comes from this constant worry that I'm messing my kids up somehow. I second guess every decision. Am I too strict? Too lenient? Did I handle that tantrum right? Am I present enough? Anyone else deal with this? Some days the anxiety about parenting is worse than regular anxiety. It's exhausting.
Six months in and I'm already feeling this anxiety creeping in. Glad to hear therapy is helping you see it differently. That's real progress.
Man, being in therapy about this is huge. I had similar spirals until I realized my kids just want me present, not perfect. The fact that you're even worried about messing them up means you're already doing better than you think.
The constant worry never fully goes away, but you start to realize the small stuff you do right matters way more than the mistakes. Three kids here and I still have days where I feel like I'm failing at everything except vacuuming.
This resonates. The bar we put on ourselves as dads is insane sometimes. Therapy is smart. What kind of stuff is your therapist helping you see?
Glad you're getting help. That constant comparison game of whether you're doing enough is brutal. You're reaching out and thinking about it which means you're already doing better than you think.
The constant internal pressure is real. I struggle with this too even though I know logically my kids are fine and happy. Getting professional help to work through it is the right move.
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Being anxious about being a good dad probably means you ARE a good dad. Bad dads don't worry about it. You're doing the work and that's what matters.