If you’ve ever joined me in my zoom office, you know I like to start all sessions by saying, “You are a great parent!” I say this statement with extreme confidence because I know that only great parents ask for help. I see it time and time again, and research supports it as well. Sadly, our Mama circles do not always support this idea though. We often believe the lie that we need to muster up every Mama skill needed for the job, and do so flawlessly.
You see, if you were to dive into the research, you’d find that asking for help is what makes a strong Mama. Not just reaching out when you’ve hit rock bottom, or when you’re on the edge of collapse. No, I’m talking about reaching out to just chat with someone, engage in a mental check in, and brainstorm to determine if you’re on the right track.
A recent 2022 study speaks to this idea. They had 64 families of 3 to 7-year-olds reach out for this type of check-in support with a behavior analyst. Their check-ins were brief, and would you believe they only met 4 times before seeing results. I wasn’t surprised at all to see that at the end of the study, a significant amount of them said that they saw huge reductions of behavior in their children. They were very pleased with what these check-ins did for their family. It was worth the investment!
I know what you’re thinking. Being transparent and asking for help is incredibly difficult. Mama, I relate and totally understand that! We put so much pressure on ourselves. We feel that we should have all the answers. We feel that we should intuitively be able to do it all. Deep down, I think we know we need to accept that concept is simply not true, and one that we need to debunk quickly in our Mama circles. We all need help. Research shows that asking for help yields tremendous results, and it’s because of that I can say confidently, “Great Mamas ask for help!”
Seeking help from someone who is reputable is the key to gaining tremendous results and having confidence you’re on the right track. Please head over to my Parent Consulting tab to learn more about how you can invest in your child’s future by being a great Mama and asking for help!
Holzman, Jacob B., et al. “Parenting in a Pandemic: Preliminary Support for Delivering Brief Behavioral Parent Training through Telehealth.” Behavior Modification, 2022, p. 014544552211032., https://doi.org/10.1177/01454455221103226