MD, MPH
Dr. Leesha is a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist who shares a heartfelt message of love, hope, and acceptance for moms. As a practicing physician, dynamic public speaker, wife, mommy, and parenting expert, she skillfully weaves sound medical advice with practical strategy grounded in years of clinical care, current research, and personal experience.
Learn more about Dr.Leesha on her website: https://drleesha.com/about/
Here’s a question for all you parents: How healthy is your parenting mindset? Let’s really give this some thought. Are you frequently frustrated by your children? Do you believe their behaviors, especially those undesirable ones, reflect negatively on your parenting? Do you find yourself secretly judging and shaming other parents for their mistakes because it makes you feel less insecure about your so-called parenting failures? The truth is that your parenting approach is significantly impacted by your parenting mindset.
Stanford psychologist, Dr. Carol S. Dweck, has written extensively about mindset over the last several decades and particularly how mindset predicts achievement and success. I think of mindset as an individual’s set of beliefs and attitudes that predetermines his or her interpretation and response to life’s circumstances and especially challenges and difficulties. In her mindset theory, Dr. Dweck describes two types of mindset – fixed and growth.
With a fixed mindset, intelligence is something you are born with and does not change. The primary goal is to appear smart. Challenges are to be avoided. Disappointment and failure lead to discouragement and choosing to give up. Criticism is taken personally.
With a growth mindset, intelligence can be honed and developed. The primary goal is mastery. Challenges are embraced. Disappointment and failure represent an opportunity to try something new or do something a different way. Criticism helps you see areas for improvement rather than proof of your ineptitude.
Cultivating a healthy parenting mindset is so important. Otherwise you run the risk of feeling like a bad parent when your kids misbehave or when you yell at your children or miss an event like I did when I missed a Mother’s Day tea one year (ultimate parenting fail).
Here are 10 TIPS for cultivating a healthy parenting mindset:
Dr. Leesha is a member of the Happy Baby Experts team, available to chat about mental health. As a board-certified child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist – and a mother of 3 – Dr. Leesha has been on both sides of this conversation. She is here to help you work towards cultivating a healthy mindset, identifying parenting guilt, putting real self-care into practice, and more. Dr. Leesha will be available on our free, anonymous live chat Mondays 6-8pmEST and Saturdays 8-10am EST, no appointment needed.
While Dr. Leesha is a physician, she is not your physician. Any health information featured on this website (can substitute chat for website) or contained within her blogs are for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice. Neither using, accessing, and/or browsing this website nor sharing personal or medical information with the author creates a physician-patient relationship. Nothing contained within this website is intended to create a physician- patient relationship, replace medical services offered by a licensed physician or other health care provider, or serve as a substitute for professional medical advice. As such, Dr. Leesha is not liable for any losses or damages related to actions or failure to act related to the content in this website. Should you need professional medical advice, consult with a physician or other health care provider licensed in your state.