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The effects of parenthood on adult well-being in later life might have changed accordingly. How multiple family member dynamics influence parenting strains and well-being is another question that has been less-often examined, largely because of data limitations.
- Kei Nomaguchi, Melissa A. Milkie
- 2020
Parents are among the most important people in the lives of young children. 1 From birth, children are learning and rely on mothers and fathers, as well as other caregivers acting in the parenting role, to protect and care for them and to chart a trajectory that promotes their overall well-being.
- Your Brain Tries to Prepare You Emotionally
- Your Attention For Baby’S Needs Sharpens
- Feeling and Thinking Work Hand in Hand For Caregiving
- Stress Diminishes—But So Does Memory
- Your Life Will Likely Become More Meaningful
- You’Ll Face Intense Physical and Psychological Challenges
- Your Bond with Your Co-Parent Will Be Tested
- Your Social and Family Ties Will Be Tested
- Your Internal Compass Will Be Challenged
- Connection and Support Become More Important
In 2014, Ruth Feldman, a researcher in Israel and at the Yale School of Medicine, conducted an experimentwith her colleagues. They went into the homes of 89 new parents and collected samples of oxytocin (the bonding hormone), and they recorded videos of parents interacting with their newborns. Later, the researchers put the parents in a functional ...
The second region that becomes more active is the “mentalizing network” that involves the higher cortex, or the more thinking regions of the brain. This area, along with the additional superhighways that connect the two emotion and mentalizing systems, focuses attention and grounds a parent in the present moment. (Who couldn’t stare at a new baby f...
Together, the emotion-processing and mentalizing networks are also associated with multitasking and better emotion regulation. In other words, parents’ brains are remodeled to protect, attune with, and plan for, their infants. Mothers aren’t the only ones whose brains are remodeled. The brains of fathers, too, light up in ways that nonparents’ brai...
Other researchhas found that hormonal changes in women late in pregnancy dampen their physical and psychological stress response as if to make more space to tune in to their babies’ needs. This is likely responsible for that special peacefulness many women experience in late pregnancy, as if the body is preparing for the important job to come. Howe...
More on ParentingTake a tour of the postpartum brain. Explore whether parenting really does bring unhappiness. Watch Greater Good parenting videos. What kind of connection do you want to have with...
“Every mom I knew was surprised by the impact of becoming a parent and wished she knew more about coping with it,” writes Jan Hanson in Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships. Hanson is a nutritionist who co-authored the book with her husband, the neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, as well as OB/GYN Ricki P...
Having a new child introduces new challenges to the parents as a couple. Conflicts typically increase in a relationship after the birth of a child, in part due to the “roommate hassles” of who will do what in the household, as well as disagreements about parenting styles. Sometimes the sense of intimacy, closeness, and sexuality in a relationship c...
New parents also undergo a rearrangement of their social life, including how they interact with extended family and friends. Some friendship networks get reconfigured (not all childless people want to hang out with new parents). Kelly noticed that other people changed in their relationship to her as she became a parent. The new demands on her time ...
Everyone has advice for the new parent, from conflicting noise in the media down to people in our most intimate circles. This is not new—parenting advice has always swung wildly over the centuries, subject to demands of the times. Kelly found that people offered unsolicited opinions, especially on sleep and clothing: “At times it felt that anyone w...
Kathleen Kendall-Tackett writesthat in many non-industrialized countries, the postpartum period is a special time of “mothering the mother.” New mothers are considered especially vulnerable so their activities are limited, they’re relieved of normal work, and they stay relatively secluded with their babies while other relatives take care of them. A...
This article reviews recent research (1999 – 2009) on the effects of parenthood on wellbeing. We use a life course framework to consider how parenting and childlessness influence well-being throughout the adult life course. We place particular emphasis on social contexts and how the impact of parenthood on well-being depends on marital status ...
- Debra J Umberson, Tetyana Pudrovska, Corinne Reczek
- 2010
May 10, 2018 · Parenthood is a powerful life-event that often changes life orientations and sometimes increases conflicts among couples [ 1, 2, 3 ].
- Christina Prinds, Christina Prinds, Ole Mogensen, Niels Christian Hvidt, Mette Bliddal, Mette Blidda...
- 2018
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Dec 3, 2020 · By Lindsey Hunter Lopez. Published April 18, 2020 Updated Dec. 3, 2020. While the adage that “nothing can prepare you for parenthood” is mostly true, there are some things you can do to get into...
Objective: Parenthood is one of the most dramatic developmental transitions in the family life cycle. It requires profound changes in lifestyle, roles and relationships, can increase stress levels and affects both men and women's quality of life.
