How can I help my wife? - 05/19/09 03:19 PM
My wife is a stay at home mom, taking care of our 2 kids, a 2 and a half year old and a 6 month old. It's very hard and most days are a struggle for her. The big issue with my wife is she has very poor self esteem. I don't know anymore what to do to help her. I know what I've done in the past to contribute to it, and I've made efforts to be more encouraging and positive around her, but I'm not seeing that it is helping any. She feels that she is a horrible mother, wife, daughter, everything. Meanwhile, the majority of the other parents we know have their kids in daycare but even though my wife is staying home with the kids she thinks she is a worse parent than them. She has no reason at all to think she's a bad mother as our kids are great and when they are difficult it's typical toddler/infant stuff. I feel like this is getting out of control and I don't know what to do anymore. I worry so much about her and the kids. They are completely dependent on her during the day and I just worry that she's going to have a breakdown. I've encouraged her to talk to her doctor about her anti-depressants and maybe changing the dosage, I've encouraged her to consider therapy, I've recommended books, etc. In addition, I've tried my best to stop being critical of her, which I've done in the past and has led to problems. I just want her to feel good about herself. I'm so proud of everything she has done and I'm so happy with the job she does taking care of the kids. If anyone has a suggestion for something that can help boost her self esteem I'd really appreciate hearing it--a book, another forum or web site, anything. Thanks.