Dr. Saliha Afridi, a clinical psychologist and managing director of LightHouse Arabia said: “I think most, if not all, women feel threatened and jealous when their children have close bonds with their caregivers.”
“It’s natural for a mother to want a child to reach for her when she wants to be comforted or cared for.”
“When the child reaches for someone else, it can hurt.”
Mothers can feel jealous because they perceive their relationship as being threatened.
Especially if the child is close to the caregiver.
It is difficult for a mother to feel that someone else is meeting her child’s needs.
They can also feel guilty for not spending enough time with their child.
However, it was perfectly normal to feel this way.
If you don’t leave your home, work, or don’t allow your baby to be cared for by someone else because you are nervous.
Then your place in the world is under threat, you are likely to experience one of the extremes, the jealousy spectrum.
But there are ways you can make things better.
- Form your own attachments
Spend some quality time forming your own attachments.
Know that no matter who it is, babysitter, grandmother, aunt or teacher, your child will never find a substitute for you.
Be interested in your children and show them positive unconditional rewards.
Make your baby always turn to you when needed.
- Do daily activities with your baby
Showering, eating, and bedtime are all great opportunities to bond.
If you can, try to organize some of the activities you do with your child in the absence of a sitter.
- Maintain perspective
Happy children are children who feel close and safe with their caregivers.
It is good for your child to have this relationship and also good for your caregiver if he feels he is not constantly competing with you.
Ultimately every mother who is far from her child wants a nanny who will care for her baby “as if it were her own.”
- Know what is good for your child
The truth is that a child who has multiple secure attachments is much better off than a child who has only one attachment.
A double sitter means more love, more attention, and high self-esteem for your child.
And if a child is securely attached to his caregiver, then he will likely also be very attached to his mother.