As a psychotherapist, this is what I saw in the video clips of Spears yelling at her kids
Whatever you think of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, their public feud reveals a parenting conundrum that many experience.
Whatever you think of Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, Federline’s recent release of since-deleted video clips on Instagram of Spears yelling at the children they share when the boys were preteens highlights a basic fact of life today: parenting is no longer a private activity.
Federline apparently wanted to show that Spears had been a bad mom, and that is what has caused a strain in her relationship with their now 15- and 16-year-old boys. But what did he actually prove? That no parent is perfect.
And the attention to these videos captures a conundrum of contemporary parenting: While we know that no parent can ever be perfect, we live in a world where being imperfect (that is, human) is viewed as being a failure.
The attention to these videos captures a conundrum of contemporary parenting.
The truth is that despite all the messages that becoming a parent is a miraculous, wonderful, brilliant part of life, parenting itself can be confusing, painful and filled with conflicting emotions. I imagine that there are very few parents who have not had a meltdown at some point or another.
Rating: 5