Parenting without burnout: How teamwork between partners helps children and careers
Balancing a job and a baby has never been easy. In today’s time, with hybrid work, long hours, and rising digital distractions, parents often feel like they are constantly choosing between deadlines and diapers, meetings and mealtimes. However, research and real-life experience reveal a clear truth: when parents work as a team, everything becomes lighter – work, parenting, and even the relationship.
What study reveals
According to a 2024 study published in the journal Psychology Research and Behaviour Management, a survey of 1,279 mothers of preschoolers in Shanghai found that when co-parenting was unsupportive, mothers experienced significantly higher stress. This stress, in turn, directly increased children’s behavioural problems. Conversely, in families where co-parenting was strong, stress levels were lower, and children showed fewer behavioural issues. The study highlights that when parents share responsibilities without blaming or criticising each other, children feel more secure and behave better.
Similarly, a 2025 study published in the World Journal of Psychiatry, which observed 258 preschool children, found that higher parenting stress correlated with increased emotional and behavioural problems in children. The study also revealed that nearly 30% of this effect was linked to the way parents interacted with their child, harsh or impatient behaviour rose when stress was high. When parents feel overwhelmed, they tend to react more strongly, and children absorb that energy. Sharing the parenting load helps reduce stress and allows parents to respond more calmly and kindly.
In an interview with HT Lifestyle, Shruti Dwivedi, parent and teen coach and an ABNLP Certified NLP Practitioner, shares insights on how effective co-parenting can help working couples raise emotionally healthy children.