Australian parents are becoming ‘socially-deprived’ as experts explain how to cope

More Aussie parents are putting unrealistic expectations on themselves to be “the perfect parent”. See expert tips on how you can make more time for yourself.

If you can‘t remember the last time you had a night away from your kids, rest assured you are not alone.

One in two parents admit they can’t they can’t recall the last time they were away from their children, while almost half (47 per cent) said they never go on date nights with their partner.

Meanwhile, a third of parents admit to having no social life at all, with psychologists warning this is leading to an epidemic of “socially-deprived parents”.

Child psychologist Deirdre Brandner said she’s seen first hand the direct impact and the “ongoing detrimental outcomes” for couples and their role as parents.

She said taking some time off away from the children shouldn’t leave couples guilt-ridden and feeling like a bad parent.

“Prioritising yourself goes against the natural instinct of parenting,” Ms Brandner said.

“Throw in complex family settings, issues of anxiety for both child and parent and time constraints the steps to ensure we engage in the social world can be challenging.

“Simply put, the impact of social limitation on parents is huge and cannot be overstated. We know they can be more susceptible to anxiety, depression and burnout.”

Ms Brandner said unrealistic parenting expectations and the pandemic has left people feeling isolated and overwhelmed trying to be “the perfect parent”.

“Now more than ever in the social media age there can be an unrealistic conviction that we need to always be present for our children and to not do so is a form of negligence,” she said.

“And the term it takes a village to raise a child is accurate, but now the village no longer exists after Covid.

“Families may have few supports, have become geographically isolated and as the work from home model becomes the norm, parents have fewer opportunities to access social interactions and opportunities for genuine social events.”

Brisbane mum, founder and CEO of Kiddo Rebecca Dredge.

Founder of babysitting app Kiddo, Rebecca Dredge – who commissioned the survey – said the alarming figures highlights the “lengths parents will push themselves” for their family.

The mother-of-two said Covid impacted on how families have “reset” time as support networks “shrunk”.

“Flexible working arrangements have been great, but often at times there is no distinction between office/home and that normal ‘down time’ you have on the way home from work,” she said.

“Caring for children during this time often meant that there was literally no break at all for parents.

“Not to mention, with all the lockdowns, border closures and subsequently, people relocating, our networks and communities shrunk very quickly.”

Gold Coast mum Tegan Anderson with her girls Sadie and Lucille. Picture: Supplied

Single mum-of-three Tegan Anderson, who works as a psychologist and criminologist, said parenting solo coupled with the demands of work has meant finding time to leave the house “incredibly difficult”.

“I find that most nights, I am awake until at least midnight just to meet the demands of the family and my work and it is absolutely exhausting,” she said.

“The cost of living has also become huge. I also have case notes, reports, and invoicing to complete so it really isn’t a true break.

“Time to myself is incredibly rare, and even when I do get it, the running to do list is forever on my mind.”