Working parents

Resources to support the mental health of working parents and children at all stages of their lives. Information to help you support your children through challenges at home, school and work.

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The Working Parent Providing information and strategies that support the psychological health of working parents and their children.

Working from home comes with some unique challenges. See Working from home to learn strategies to support your well-being while balancing your personal and work life.

 

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Booklets and tip sheets

In addition to the 24/7 resources, the Psychology Foundation of Canada offers booklets, tip sheets and videos broken down by age and audience:

Infants [0-3]

Children [4-13]

Youth [14-17]

For Me (for parents)

For parents of post-secondary students, check out From Surviving to Thriving: Developing Personal and Academic Resilience

Talking to stressed-out children

Resources for caring adults – This resource from Kids Help Phone includes tips for talking with young people about stress, sexuality, bullying, suicide and other challenging topics.

Peer support for family members   

A family peer support network for the entire family of someone with a mental health challenge and/or addiction. All IN Family peer support offers free one-on-one and online support groups, workshops, and navigation of resources assistance for families in an effort to build a community of understanding, acceptance and hope.

Returning to work after parental leave

The transition from parental leave back to work can be stressful. Adjusting to a new routine of drop offs at childcare, commuting, settling back into a work environment or the emotional strain of spending time away from your child can all be challenging. During this time most of us need support from friends, family, other parents, therapists or others.

These tips can aid with the transition.

Schedules

Many people, children and adults, are comforted by knowing what is expected of them. Printing out a visual morning schedule for children including brush teeth, get dressed, have breakfast and pack your bag can help ease the transition of leaving the house each morning. Leave space to include anything specific to the next day and update the list the night before. Post the list somewhere that you can’t miss it.

15 minutes the night before

Take time the night before to put out clothes, make lunches and set out work and school bags by the door to reduce the stress of looking for items in the morning. This can give you much-needed time to get where you need to go without feeling rushed.

Create space for moments

After being home with your baby 24 hours a day you may miss having quality time with them. Creating space in your daily routine can help. Pack favourite books to read with your child when you both have to wait during appointments or shopping trips. Bring bubbles and a wand to stop on the way home and burn some energy outdoors. Pack a picnic and blanket (leave it at daycare or at the caregivers’) and enjoy a pre-made meal outdoors.

Make time for nothing

Moving to a very scheduled work day can be overwhelming for everyone. Where possible, it can be helpful to make at least part of one of your days off unscheduled. Take time for long walks, playing outside with your kids and spending time unrushed. Take a rain check on things that require you to be somewhere at a certain time – even if just for a little while.

Partner with your care provider

Let your care provider, even if it is family, know what you need. Many daycares and childcare providers will offer a daily summary, photographs or updates to let you know how your child’s day has been. This helps you stay connected to how your child is doing. If you have questions or concerns, write them down and book time to talk them through when the care provider has free time.

Time block

The day-to-day tasks in life can feel overwhelming – picking up a present for a party, getting the prescriptions, grocery shopping, cleaning the bathroom, making doctors’ appointments. Often this can create a lot of stress. Having a running list reduces the mental energy required. And, by blocking time during the week – for example, during a coffee break or before or after work – you can cross these off your list with less effort.

The above is compliments of Allison Venditti, Career Strategist & Return to Work Specialist. Allison is the creator of the Ready to Return program, Canada's first  online program to support mothers returning to work from maternity leave. For more information, check out careerlove.ca.

Contributors include.articlesAllison VendittiMary Ann BayntonPsychology Foundation of CanadaWorkplace Strategies team 2007-2021

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