How Parental Pressure Affects the Future of Our Children’s Work
There are three things deeply concerning me today:
The pressure on parents and children
The impact this pressure has on the mental thriving of both parent and child
The link between mental thriving and the future of work
Everywhere we turn as parents, there’s a demand on our time and energy. We’re working hard, ensuring every minute of every day is used efficiently... and that somehow, in the chaos of daily life, there’s still space for quality family time.
Only the reality often looks more like rushing out the door, speeding up conversations with your child just to get them in the car, circling back for the water bottle left on the bench, and wondering if you’ll make your 9:30am team meeting.
And while all this is happening, your mind is still processing the never-ending list of to-dos in the background. This is the mental load. And without deliberate action, it doesn’t let up.
Research tells us we lose at least nine hours a week to family-related mental load. That’s more than one full workday every week. And it’s exhausting us.
Imagine putting a bunch of ingredients into a blender and leaving it running all day, every day. The motor would burn out... and eventually, the lid would fly off and everything would explode.
That’s what’s happening to us.
But here’s the real issue: all this mental pressure is draining our capacity to be present with our children. And even more than that, it’s diminishing our ability to be deliberate about the beliefs we are instilling in them.
And that matters—because the beliefs our children form about themselves determine whether or not they can access their natural creativity and express their unique essence.
We are all born with something beautifully unique inside us. But whether that uniqueness shines through depends heavily on what we believe about ourselves. If a child grows up believing they’re not capable, or not good enough, or that their ideas don’t matter... those beliefs can limit them for life.
And this is where the future of work comes in.
The world our children are stepping into will reward uniqueness. It will demand creativity. It will thrive on self-direction and adaptability. The future of work won’t be about following the same path—it will be about creating your own.
That’s why our work, as parents, is less about doing more... and more about becoming conscious of what beliefs we’re passing on through the everyday moments. Because the volume of work in parenting isn’t going to change—but our mindsets can.
It starts with us. It starts with pausing to notice our inner world so we can better shape theirs.
Want to explore how you can do that with more clarity and ease?
Check out my book: Smart Parenting - How to Develop Your Child’s Mindset, Courage and Resilience for the Future of Work. Order your copy today.
