There are lots of things that contribute to parent wellbeing, and most of them we have no control over. Things like the presence or absence of family support, workplace leave policies, financial security, the temperament and health of our kids, and of course, all the things we ourselves bring into parenting - from our own history and identities, to our genetic disposition, and everything else besides. Other than radical acceptance, and maybe engaging in a little activism to change things up (if you want to!), there’s not much to be done about these factors. But there are a few things you can control, and doing what you can to improve your well-being by working on those areas is what we call self-care.