I burned out trying to be an overachieving parent. I learned it's OK to ask for help.

Mon, 07/22/2024 - 05:48

Amanda Miller Littlejohn and her daughter on a yellow background with baby toys and a bottle in red collaged in squares behind her. — The author felt like she had to be an overachiever while parenting her first two kids but learned to ask for help the third time around.
Amanda Miller Littlejohn; Getty Images; Tyler Le/BI

I was an overachiever when I had my sons in my 20s.
Now 40 with a toddler, I've learned I don't have to burn out to be a good mom.
I realized it's OK to ask others in my community for help.

I had my teen sons in my late 20s, and by age 30, I was parenting two toddlers. Now I'm over 40, raising a toddler once again, and I am not the same.

I grew up as your typical high-achieving, elder millennial. Once I became a mother, I saw parenting as my most high-stakes assignment and was determined to ace it.