19-05-2025
Parental guilt: the topic mothers often want to talk to me about
I speak to dozens of parents each week as part of my job as a motherhood coach. Some women ask how they can feel less resentment towards their partners, others want to discuss careers, but there's one topic that comes up time and time again: guilt.
Many mothers feel guilty every day. Shame, spirals, inner critic rants, comparisons and doubt. Hours of questioning whether you're doing enough, being enough. It's no wonder many of us feel exhausted.
I know those feelings well. I used to spend most days with a third child on my hip, not an actual child (I have two real ones, aged five and nine). I'm talking about guilt. The guilt of not enjoying every moment. The guilt of working. Of not