When Your Child's Overwhelm Mirrors Your Own: A Wake-Up Call for Moms

It was a jolt to my system as a mom. Hearing my 10-year-old son utter the words, "I just can't! I've got sooo much to do! And I don't know how I'm going to get it all done!" sent chills down my spine.

Those words... they were my words. The ones I'd muttered in desperation countless times before. I had unwittingly taught my son this response – a knee-jerk reaction to stress and overwhelm.

My initial instinct was to dismiss his concerns. "Oh, get over it!" I wanted to say. "How can you have 'sooo much to do' at 10? What could possibly be that important?"

But I held back.

A realisation dawned on me. In his world, whatever was causing him such distress was just as significant as my own struggles with running a business, paying bills, managing a farm, and juggling market days. It was a humbling reminder that our children's perspectives, though different, are no less valid.

More importantly, I realised that my own inability to cope with my overflowing plate was now mirrored in my son's behaviour. This was a wake-up call. My stress was trickling down, impacting my child's well-being. And that was unacceptable.

As mothers, what we will not do for ourselves, we will do for our children. That was the case here. This was one of a series of incidents that made me take a serious and grown-up look at my life.  The rest, as they say, is history (or in this case, her-story and their-story).