New moms, dads unable to live upto `perfect` parent tag

Washington: Parents of newborns might not quite be able to live upto the tag of `perfect` moms and dads, thrust on them by the society, says a study.

The study found moms showed less confidence in their parenting abilities and dads felt more stress when they were more worried about what other people thought about their parenting skills. However, self-imposed pressure to be perfect was somewhat better for parents, especially for fathers, according to the results, the Journal Personality and Individual Differences reports. The findings are some of the first to show how the quest for perfectionism affects first-time parents, said Meghan Lee, a graduate in human development and family science at Ohio State University, who led the study. "Trying to be the perfect parent is a mixed bag. If you think you have to be perfect because of outside pressure, it really hurts adjustment. If you put these demands on yourself, it may have some benefits early on, but it is not universally good," said Lee, according to an Ohio statement. Lee conducted the study with Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, associate professor, and Claire Kamp Dush, assistant professor, both in human development and family science at Ohio State. This study is part of a larger, long-term "New Parents Project" that is studying how dual-earner couples adjust to becoming parents for the first time. Researchers examined 182 couples who became parents between 2008 and 2010. IANS