The Huddle
Good Enough Parenting
There's a standard nobody ever set out loud, and most mothers I speak to are measuring themselves against it every day. Never doing enough. Never giving enough. Never quite the mother you meant to be, even in a week that went perfectly well.
I wanted someone who could tell us where that actually comes from, and how much of it is worth keeping, so I asked Tara.
She's a clinical psychologist who has worked with children, adolescents and parents for nearly thirty years, and she wrote a book called Good Enough. She's honest about this in a way few people are. Send her a question before the call and she'll answer it properly.
Ask your question
There's no version of this she hasn't heard before, and no question too small to bother with. Ask the thing you'd ask if you had an hour with her and nobody was listening.
Your question goes to Dr Tara Porter before the call whether or not you tick the box, and it stays private unless you do. Nothing is published without your permission and our approval, and identifying details are always taken out.
The answers happen live on Wednesday 28 October at 7pm, on a call with Dr Tara Porter and me. Questions go to her beforehand so nothing lands cold.
Send your question either way. It goes to her regardless, and it helps the next woman who reads this page.
About Dr Tara Porter
After 28 years in the NHS, Tara runs a private practice in north west London and teaches at UCL. She's the author of three books, including the Sunday Times bestseller "You Don't Understand Me" and "Good Enough: A Framework for Modern Parenting", and has spent nearly three decades helping people make sense of what's going on underneath.