You are the most important person in your child’s life.

• You need to take care of yourself in order to be able to best care for your child
• As a parent you may get stressed, tired or lonely. Ask for help because parenting is far too important a job to do alone - support from family friends, neighbours and community programs can help
• Children learn what they live so it is important to take care of yourself and set a good example
• It is important that you regularly take time for yourself - you are a better person if you take care of yourself
• Time alone with your partner is also important - it may take a lot of planning but it is well worth it – the cost of dinner and a movie is cheaper than an hour of marriage counselling!
• Raising a child is a big job – from time to time, everybody needs help

What you can do?

Many parents get support from talking to other parents. There are places in Richmond where you can meet other parents – including parent-child drop-in programs, parenting workshops, library programs, parks, playgrounds and your faith community. Some programs even offer free childminding. Look in the Parenting and Learning and Play sections of the Richmond Kids website for more information.

Make time for yourself during the day. From minute vacations to planned activities, even a few minutes can help you relax and feel better about yourself. Find out more about what you can do to take care of yourself.