#papafa #partner #marriage #tipsheet #support #marriagegoals #partnersforlife #mentalhealth #mentalwellness
Parenting is a lot. A lot of stress, a lot of anxiety, a lot of money, and a lot of sleepless nights. Especially when your child is struggling with their mental health. This struggle your child is having not only impacts them, but it impacts the entire family, including the relationship you have with your partner. That is why we sat down with Liz and Drew Miller, and Astrid Arroyo and Michael Uzyak and interviewed them for both a blog and this tip sheet.
Both of these couples have raised a child who was struggling and they shared their experiences with us. It was our longest blog to date because our conversations with them were full of insight you would not be able to get from reading a pamphlet or doing a Google search. These are the kind of tips you could only get from someone who has been in their shoes.
We took tips directly from our interviews with them as well as reached out to other couples across the state to get a list of tangible tips that you and your partner can put into practice.
Parenting a child who struggles has the potential to put a lot of strain on a relationship and it can totally consume you to the point where you don't feel like you have time or energy for your partner. The idea of getting dressed up and hitting the town may be something foreign because it can be hard to find someone who can watch your child or to even find the energy for fun. These couples get that, they have had similar feelings and experiences. They know the simple monthly date night that many of their peers use to stay connected is not generally an option for them, and the stress they experience is very different from parents who are not raising a child with challenges.
This new tip sheet breaks up their suggestions into 3 of the most common themes that we noticed while speaking to couples; being a team, communicating, and maintaining a strong foundation. Every single person that we spoke to when creating this emphasized the importance of those 3 ideas when trying to remain a supportive and connected couple. Everything from doing your best to always attending appointments and meetings together, to being present and cherishing those happy moments that you do have is touched upon in this tip sheet.