Before we became parents, many of us had an ideal image of what that role would look like. This image is often based on our own experiences of being parented. Consequently, we might decide to parent our children similarly, or we might enter into parenthood with a determination to parent in a dramatically different way, or we might design an ideal based on any combination of these two. Regardless of which design we arrive at, one thing is true: our ideal image is often rooted in a deep sense of love for, and commitment to, our children.

Whenever I mention Depleted Mother Syndrome (DMS) to a new mom, her first reaction is to chuckle. “Now there’s a syndrome for THAT too?” she’d say. But not five minutes into me describing this all too common condition, does she begin to nod her head enthusiastically, and by the end of the meeting DMS has gathered another new fan.

What is Depleted Mother Syndrome?

We hear it all the time, “Kids are more of a challenge now than they used to be.” Therapists, like myself, are challenged by the demand to work with these “new” kids.