Stressed Parents Need to Chill Before They Ruin Their Babies

Parental stress can have a harmful affect on babies' development, resulting
in problems with social and motor skills, according to a new study.
The study, from Trinity College, Dublin, finds that parents who are stressed
out are less sensitive to their children, meaning they're less likely to respond
to them in times of need. The result is that it could hamper children's
development.
For the study, researchers interviewed the parents of more than 11,000
nine-month-old babies, following up with two more interviews before the
kids turned five. They found that for parents, being tuned into a child's
needs is important for development, but that stress—no matter the cause—
impacts "the ability to read these signals."
The report also broke down how the causes of stress can be different
between mothers and fathers.
Mothers tended to become stressed about money, but not fathers.
Women also became stressed about a lack of support from family
and friends.
Fathers stressed about the relationship with their partners, which
impacted on parenting.
Translation: mothers are stressed because they feel like they're aren't getting
the help they need, whereas fathers are stressed because they feel like they
aren't getting the blow jobs they need.