Richard Hogan: Parents are getting pulled into competitive parties and gift-giving

Richard Hogan: The important lesson for children is how you resolve conflict. Picture: Moya Nolan

The modern parent has a lot to contend with; both parents generally need to work to meet the financial demands of modern life, while also desperately trying to manage the myriad problems the arrival of smartphones and endless internet access has placed between parent and child. Parents also need to have the skills to support children experiencing; exclusion, bullying, diet restriction, anxiety and many other negative psychological phenomenon. So, as I said, it’s difficult to be a parent in the modern world.

There are so many influencers out there telling parents how to be the perfect parent. It seems like you need a psychology degree and masters in family therapy to successfully manage it all. Something I tell parents is that, ‘it’s okay at times to only be okay as a parent’. It’s good for children to see you when you are not at your best. You come home from a long day, the house is a mess, they have not tided up, you are hangry (tired/hungry), you raise your voice, you overreact to something that irks you. Have you damaged your child for life? Absolutely not. You have shown them how people really are. Parenting is not a game of perfect. It’s a game of life. Sometimes we can be a little less than perfect.