The Pressure to Be a Perfect Parent

Psychology Today | 06.02.2026 03:23
Boom. The minute you become a parent, the pressure is on. For perhaps the first time in your life, you feel that now you need to do everything right. The fear of making a mistake has never been so prominent. When you know that you are going to become a parent, you feel the pressure to follow the recommendations and advice of all your friends, family, and even the strangers at the grocery store. I call this the beginning of the pressure trap. They must know more than you, right? If you're not taking advantage of every bit of advice, you must not be doing everything you can for your baby. The race to do it right begins.